Secrets of the Code
by Alisi Thorndyke
Summary: Sequel to Fight For The Code. After Garry's invasion, Sugar Rush has become increasingly unstable as violent tremors threaten to shut down the game. However, a map in King Candy's codebox could be the key to changing the game's fate. Will Vanellope be able to connect the dots in time or will Sugar Rush be doomed to becoming unplugged? VanillaButter pairing!
1. Secrets Of The Future

Secrets Of The Code

A/N: Hiya everyone! I hope you enjoyed the previous installment because this installment promises be one heck of a rollercoaster ride of unforgettable proportions! I hope you're ready because everything begins now! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Like every story I ever wrote, the disclaimer remains the same. But I know I can't wait to see the sequel!

Summary: Sequel to Fight For The Code. After Garry's invasion, Sugar Rush has become increasingly unstable as violent tremors threaten to shut down the game. However, the clues laid out in the king's code box maybe the key to changing the game's fate. Will Vanellope be able to connect the dots in time or will Sugar Rush be doomed to the game grave yard?

 **Chapter Inspiration: Untouchable (Original Mix) by Tritonal and Cash Cash**

Chapter 1: Secrets of the Future

The lights were low, the stage was set, and the guests were awaiting the arrival of their soon to be queen. The strawberry colored carpet that lead to the throne the new queen of Sugar Rush would soon take was being maintenanced by the castle staff at the very last minute to ensure the new queen's coronated feet never touched a speck of dirt.

Many were gathered around the carpet with electric anticipation and dressed to their very best! From the citizens of the game to non-citizens who came to witness what was being described as the greatest event of the year! Even the bad guy of Felix it Felix Jr stood alongside the carpet to witness his best friend close one chapter of her life and enter another. The princess was becoming a queen right before his very eyes!

The king himself was bubbling over with excitement, despite his stern demeanor stating otherwise. Standing by the throne that would soon belong to his heir, the king looked over to the empty chair as fond memories began playing through his mind of how far Vanellope had come to get to that moment in time. His little girl, whom he watched grow up, had peaked in her maturity and was soon going to be running an entire kingdom single handedly. One he and her mother once ran together before her birth. Closing his eyes, a small smile appeared on the king's face as he turned away from the chair and towards the strawberry colored carpet.

Sour Bill scuttled into the room carrying the crown and scepter on a salmon colored pillow, his little arms looking as if they had been carrying the precious heirlooms for some time. Scuttling footsteps of the ball of candy caught the king's attention and his vision was immediately drawn to him.

"Just think about it bill." The king began, making eye contact with the green ball of candy. "In just a few moments, my little girl will be Sugar Rush's new queen. I can tell you that I was not prepared for this step, but I am happy to assist her in matriculating into this new chapter in her life. However, I will always see her as my little girl even when she's a queen."

"I can tell your majesty." Sour Bill replied in his usual mono-tone. "It's written all over your face."

"I can't wait to see her take her last steps as a princess and her first as a queen." The king continued, his voice slowly being drowned out by the electric crowd that surrounded the two. "I'll have to start calling her Queen. Queen Vanellope, it just doesn't roll off the tongue like princess does."

"Time, your majesty, time." Sour Bill voiced in comfort to his superior. "Just like her highness, you too will get use to her new title."

"Yes, I suppose you're right." King Schweetz nodded in agreement. "Speaking of my little girl, would you happen to know where she is? It's almost time for her coronation to start and there is no sign of her."

"Vanellope is getting ready with the help of Taffyta Muttonfudge." Sour Bill revealed. "Last I checked, Taffyta was giving her a last minute once over and her escort is awaiting her outside her bedroom doors as you instructed."

"Wonderful." King Schweetz nodded. "Did you check the hall to make sure the caterers followed the menu provided for the reception?"

"Yes sir." Sour Bill confirmed.

"The decorations?" The king continued checking.

"Yes sir." Sour Bill confirmed once more.

"The music?" The king finished.

"Everything is as you and the princess wished sir." Sour Bill expressed. "I made sure to check everything twice. Everything for today's event is as it should be sire."

"Excellent!" King Schweetz beamed. "This is my little girl's one and only coronation and I want everything to be flawless. Great job Sour Bill."

"You're welcome sir." Sour Bill bowed as the king reached into his left blazer pocket and pulled out his pocket watch to check the time. His eyes slightly widened at what the clock face read.

"Five minutes until show time!" King Schweetz exclaimed as he put his watch back in his pocket and took the pillow that held the delicate crown and scepter from Sour Bill. "Sour Bill, please inform her escort right away!"

Bowing to the king, the sour ball of candy quickly scuttled away and towards the doors of the grand hall.

 **Vanellope's Bedroom**

"Vanellope, calm down! Your face is completely red!" Taffyta urged the flustered princess as she fanned the girl's face with her hands. "If you keep getting worked up like this, your face is going to remain beet red! You have to breathe! Follow my lead ok? In and out, in and out!"

"But I can't calm down!" Vanellope expressed as she shut her eyes in frustration. "I am so nervous! What if I trip on these shoes? What if I freeze while walking down the aisle? What if nothing goes right today?! I do have the jitters Taffyta and millions of people will witness any mistakes I may make out there!"

"Vanellope, you're becoming queen, not getting married." Taffyta calmly reminded her as she grabbed Vanellope's comb from her vanity's counter and ran it through her bangs slowly, shifting the sectioned hair to the right side of her face. "Everything will be fine. I helped your father plan this remember and you know how I _don't_ do mistakes. Your coronation will be perfect and be sure not to rub your eyes if you feel the urge to cry. I didn't use the smudge proof mascara or eyeliner."

Placing the comb back on the counter, Taffyta tapped the top of the bun she styled Vanellope's hair into while placing a small strawberry colored pin into the top. She then looked into the girl's face to see that the beet red complexion she gained was starting to lessen.

"Good, you're calming down." Taffyta happily commented. "A red face does _not_ look good in pictures. If anyone should know that, I would."

"So would that explain your recent second place winner photo last week?" Vanellope asked with a smirk as she opened her eyes.

"That was a mistake." Taffyta expressed as her cheeks reddened. "It was windy that day and I wasn't properly posed for that shot. _Incompetent photographer and his refusal to retake my photo!"_

"Whatever you say Taffyta." Vanellope continued teasing, the redness of her face completely vanishing.

With a small smirk of her own, Taffyta grabbed the royal's powder brush and swiftly ran it across Vanellope's cheeks, removing the excessive blush powder. Titling her face up slightly, she ran the brush slightly over the corner of the girl's eyelids to lightly blend the colors of her eye shadow that wasn't mixed during the application.

"Almost done." Taffyta lightly voiced as she placed the brush down and grabbed the royal's lipgloss from the vanity.

"Wearing all of this war paint better be worth it." Vanelloped lightly complained as Taffyta lightly closed her mouth so she can apply the lipgloss.

"Oh hush, you know it will be." Taffyta lightly laughed. "I know Rancis won't be able to take his eyes off of you as he walks you into your new status."

Closing her eyes, a slight smile formed on the girl's face. After everything the game had been through and with Garry defeated, she and Rancis had no reason to dance around the other any longer. If Garry were still around, she would have to thank him for invading the game as it was that very event that brought the two closer together. At least in her vernacular anyway.

"If I do say so myself, I would say that Garry had a little something to do with it." Taffyta expressed as she applied the final touch of lip gloss to Vanellope's lower lip. "Ever since he became bytes of data, you two have become practically inseparable. I hardly get to see you anymore."

"Yea, I guess we have." Vanellope agreed. "And I am so glad my dad finally gave Rancis his approval. I never thought that would ever happen as my father is one stubborn guy."

"Well you know fathers." Taffyta began as she helped the royal to her feet with Vanellope opening her eyes. "Even when you are grown up, they will always see you as their little girl. My dad is the same way with me. I know Rancis was thrilled when he finally got the king's approval to go out with you."

"That's daddy alright." Vanellope chuckled a bit. "Still stuck in the past and Rancis was overjoyed."

"Alright girl, you are ready to wow the red carpet!" Taffyta voiced as she turned Vanellope to her vanity mirror, to her complete look. "I am so proud of you!"

Gazing at her reflection in the mirror, the sudden urge to shed a tear came over Vanellope, but she fought it back to keep Taffyta's make up job in tact. The core was dressed in her royal attire with her hair tied back into a bun, and her candy red tiara tying the entire look together.

"Well, this is good-bye princess Vanellope." Vanellope whispered to her reflection. "It was nice knowing you."

"And hello her Royal Highness Queen Vanellope Von Schweetz!" Taffyta beamed as she placed her hands on the royal's shoulders, her smile widening in the mirror behind the girl. "Ready to take on the kingdom."

"You're not making this any easier Taff." Vanellope muttered as she gave her best friend a side eye gaze.

Before the strawberry themed racer could reply, there was a knock at the doors.

"Come in." Taffyta permitted as Rancis walked in, but halted as his vision fell on Vanellope.

Turning to her escort, Vanellope, too, became speechless at the sight of him. The peanut butter themed racer was dressed in a royal blue blazer that was well decorated with medals of the king's army on the left side of his chest, a white sash that ran from his right shoulder to the left bottom cuff of the blazer, black slacks, white gloves, and black shoes. On his head was the blue and white royal court crown that was only assigned to knights and the prince of the kingdom. Considering Rancis was the princess's escort, the king made sure he wore it.

With a smile ear to ear, Taffyta lightly shoved Vanellope in Rancis's direction.

"I'll leave you two alone." Taffyta grinned as she made her way to the bedroom doors. "See you downstairs, my queen."

With a red blush on her cheeks, Vanellope looked to the ground briefly before turning back to Rancis.

"Wow, you look, great." Rancis spoke with a slight stammer as he held out his left hand to Vanellope. "Are you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be." Vanellope nodded as she placed her right hand in his left. "And you clean up pretty well yourself."

 **Grand Hall**

The strawberry themed racer entered the doors silently with Sour Bill, gesturing to the king that the princess was on her way down. The king then gestured to two ushers to station themselves at each of the double doors to open them when his daughter arrived with her escort.

"This is so exciting!" Jet squealed in a whisper as he kept his attention glued to the doors, anxiously awaiting Vanellope's arrival. "I can't wait to see Vanellope! She is going to be crowned queen before our very eyes!"

"That's very evident Jet." Set calmly replied as he too kept his attention on the double doors.

The horns outside the double doors began playing, officially announcing the arrival of Vanellope and Rancis. The ushers opened the doors simultaneously to reveal the two, Rancis standing to the right of Vanellope.

From where she stood, Vanellope could swear half the arcade, if not every game in it, was standing in the great hall anxiously awaiting her coronation. The sight of Ralph, Felix, his wife Calhoun, and the other racers helped ease the core's tension, knowing that her friends came out to support her. Even Princess Peach, Rosalina, and Daisy were there to support the future queen.

Rancis and Vanellope began down the aisle with everyone on both sides of the carpet bowing as the two passed them. Looking straight ahead, Vanellope beamed a smile to her father who quickly returned the smile.

The two reached the end of the carpet in front of the throne. Rancis kissed the back of the royal's hand and took two steps behind Vanellope, bowing as he did so.

"Vanellope! We love you!" Jet screamed with excitement. Set immediately slapped his hand over his brother's mouth to silence him.

Vanellope bowed to her father in which he bowed to her in return.

"Vanellope." The King began. "I have watched you grow up and mature into the beautiful and responsible young woman you are today. I always imagined this day would come, but never this soon. I am, however, proud that you are entering this status with such grace. You have proven yourself to be responsible, reliant, and strong, everything a queen is and I am proud to say you are."

Vanellope nodded.

"As you accept your new status as queen today, you solemnly swear to always put your subjects first, never stray from your responsibilities, and always do what is in the best interest of the kingdom." The King explained. "This kingdom is solely in your hands and any mistakes made are under your care for rectification."

"I swear." Vanellope replied.

The king removed her tiara and handed it to Sour Bill.

"Then it is with great joy and humble pleasure to officially name you Queen Vanellope Von Schweetz of Sugar Rush's Candy Kingdom!" King Schweetz announced as he grabbed the crown from the pillow and held it high above the new queen's head. "The kingdom is officially handed over to you."

Kneeling before her father, Vanellope closed her eyes with anticipation of receiving the crown that was passed down through the generations and on that day, it was her turn to be blessed with such a precious family heirloom. One that she will wear proudly as she reigned over the kingdom as queen.

King Schweetz placed the crown on her head, positioning it so it sat snuggling in the new queen's hair. With the heirloom placed, Vanellope stood as she faced her father. Just as she opened her mouth to speak to the king, the core's thought was immediately interrupted.

" _I couldn't wait for this day to come either!"_ Afamiliarly eerie voice spoke throughout the hall that caught everyone's attention. " _And I'm so glad that I got front row seats to the festivities! I am ever so honored!"_

The color immediately drained from Vanellope's face as the voice echoed through her mind, the one voice she thought she'd never hear again. The voice menaically cackled, which made the new queen frantically look around for the source of the voice.

" _Oh it looks as if her royal highness is confused!"_ The voice continued on as it chuckled. " _Has it really been that long since we last seen each other? Here, maybe this should jog your memory!"_

A loud crash that mocked the sound of lighting accompanied by an earthquake suddenly occurred that knocked Vanellope off of her feet and caused debris from the ceiling to begin crashing down. The guests began scrambling about to avoid being hit by the large junks of the grand hall's ceiling. The lights in the hall suddenly went out as another quake struck. Vanellope kneeled down and covered her head as the debris fell around her.

" _Does that jog your memory now?"_ The voice loudly questioned as the last of the debris fell around the queen. " _Because it would certainly jog mine if I were you!"_

Uncovering her head and getting to her feet, Vanellope looked around and noticed that the hall was completely empty and that she stood in total darkness. Adjusting her hazel eyes to the void she was sat in, Vanellope continued to frantically look for any signs of life.

"Ralph? Felix? Taffyta? Candlehead?" Vanellope called out. "Ok Garry, what did you do with them?! I defeated you in the code vault and watched you decompose into bytes of data so you can't exist!"

" _Oh you do remember me_! _I'm so flattered!_ " Garry's voice sarcastically replied. " _However_ , _if I can't exist, then how would you explain this?"_

A spotlight at the opposite end of the carpet, at the double doors, suddenly came on with the familiar shaggy white haired, rose colored eyed villain dressed in his brown cloak appearing under the light.

"You're kidding me." Vanellope muttered to herself.

"You must have missed my warning when I said the _fight for the code_ was just beginning." Garry casually voiced as his eyes caught with the core's determined vision. "I wasn't holding a casual conversation when I issued that warning, but I can see why it would _appear_ that way to you."

Turning her entire body in his direction, Vanellope slanted her eyes in anger as she tightly balled up her fists.

"You're dead and I won!" Vanellope hissed as Garry began his slow descent down the carpet towards her. "You dug your own grave the _moment_ you challenged me on my _own_ tracks! You knew that I would take you down to save this game! You _don't_ want to do this again!"

Stopping dead in his tracks, a shadow fell over the villain's face as a smirk appeared on it.

"Interesting." Garry simply voiced.

Before the core could continue her tirade against the villain, a distinct outline to her right appeared in her peripheral vision as a large claw swiped at her and knocked the queen back to the floor. Quickly sliding into seating position, Vanellope's pupils shrunk at the sight of who that large orange claw belonged to.

"Ralph...?" Vanellope barely voiced as the large bug stomped into what light was being provided by the spotlight, a mini earthquake occurring with each step he took. The royal's eyes fell on the wrecking bug's body and noticed a familiar stream of code surging through it. A knot formed in her stomach at the sight of the code stream.

"Felix...?" Vanellope whispered as she returned her vision to the bug.

The wrecking bug hungrily eyed her as a stream of drool ran down his chin, his razor sharp teeth visible as he growled, and his warm brown eyes were replaced with a void of white. Fear quickly consumed the core as she slid back away from the bug, her eyes never leaving what was formerly her best friend.

"Ralph, it's me Vanellope." The royal tried to reach the bug as he continued towards her. "You call me kid? Don't you recognize me? You saved my game once and helped me save it recently!"

The bug's mouth flew open in a fierce roar and it's tongue lashed out towards the girl, the tip of the tongue being the head of Fix it Felix Jr. The sight of the disembodied head with ghost white eyes on the tip of the wrecker's tongue made the knot in the royal's stomach twist tighter, nearly paralyzing her with fear.

Quickly scooting away from the wrecking bug, a fierce growl erupted behind the core that made her whip around to a large strawberry colored bug. The core gaped at the sight of the large virus that jumbled what words the core could say in her mind.

"Taffyta?!" Vanellope managed to shriek as she scrambled to her feet and largely stepped back from both bugs that were advancing on her. "It's me Vanellope! You and Ralph have to remember me! You guys have to fight Garry's control!"

The strawberry themed bug focused her vicious ghost white eyes on Vanellope and angrily swiped her left claw at the teen. Vanellope quickly bounded out of the way, dodging the attack at just the right moment while almost losing her crown in the process. The core's fear was quickly replaced with anger, Vanellope fed up with Garry's antics.

"Ok Garry, if it's a fight you want, it's a fight you'll-" Vanellope began as she turned around to where Garry stood, but the disappearance of the villain cut off the core's argument. Sighing, Vanellope rolled her eyes.

"And here I thought hide and seek were for children." Vanellope expressed.

Another fierce quake struck the area that nearly knocked the teen off her feet, but she quickly regained her balance. Keeping her vision focused in front of her despite what threats surrounded her, what the teen saw next replaced what anger she mustered with overwhelming fear, but she stood her ground regardless.

Stepping into the light was a monster far more terrifying than what the royal saw previously and could easily mimic the aquatic three headed hydra. From left to right was the head of Garry, Turbo, and finally, her father, each looking more frightening than the first. From their ghost white eyes to their razor sharp fangs, to the large cybug body that each neck was attached to as strings of code streamed among the virus's body.

Vanellope's eyes focused on the strings of data that streamed along the body of the virus. She recognized who the strings of data belonged to, which caused her voice to get hitched in her throat and rushing fear to completely consume her.

"Gloyd...Set...Jet." Vanellope managed to choke out as her eyes closely followed the data streams. "Rancis...Minty...Candlehead...Not again!"

Turning her vision back to the three headed virus, the royal noticed the devious grin on Turbo's face, his horribly stained teeth clear in her view. As much as Vanellope wanted to scream and run, her former best friends turned viruses and crippling fear prevented such an action.

As the monster advanced closer to the teen queen, the head of Turbo extended its neck towards her at lightning speed as the monster stomped its left foot and created another earth shattering quake. Quickly reacting, Vanellope shut her eyes tightly and covered her face with her right arm, quickly defending herself against the attack Turbo launched against her.

Unhitching her breath from her throat, breathing as if she were taking her last breath, Vanellope's eyes shot open as the core quickly sat up. Panting heavily, the royal frantically looked around and noticed she was in her bedroom, surrounded by the Sugar Rush racers. Even Jet and Set stood among the racers dressed in their new blue and white jumps suits with Sugar Rush's logos on the front of the jacket, matching shoes included.

Getting her breathing under control, Vanellope carefully observed the looks that graced their faces and noticed that they looked upset. Confused by their expressions, Taffyta approached her and broke the silence.

"Van, we got the orange tag." Taffyta informed her, the painfully sad expression on her face unchanging. "Gloyd and I overheard Litwak saying that it is a possibility that our game will be unplugged if the tremors continue. They have gotten so bad that we haven't had a quarter alert since early yesterday."

"We just became racers of this game." Set added in, his voice also dripping with worry. "If this game gets unplugged, we will never get the chance to race!"

"For most of us, never again." Swizzle voiced as he turned his vision towards the ground.

Hearing that caused the core's eyes to widen to the size of medium sized dinner plates. Running a lazy hand through her damp raven hair, Vanellope looked among them while trying to search for the right words to calm their fears.

However, from what she just learned, there might not be any words that could possibly accomplish that, especially after the nightmare she just had...

* * *

 _ **Welcome back everybody! :) As promised, here is the sequel to Fight For The Code! While the first chapter maybe a little boring, it being the first chapter and all lol, I hope you guys are ready for what's in store for our racers and heroine because it's going to get wild! The official fanart for this fanfic is on my DeviantArt page under Alisi-Christine!**_

 _ **Schweet Deal will be updated soon with a one-shot based on Hero's Cuties! My apologies it is so late being updated. Life has stepped in my way once more. So stay tuned and don't forget to,**_

 _ **Review Please!**_


	2. Secrets of Sugar Rush

Chapter 2: Secrets Of Sugar Rush!

'As the princess's joint coronation and birthday approaches, the game is in danger of being unplugged due to the uncontrollable tremors! Was Vanellope's nightmare a possible premonition of what's to come?'

 _Previously_

Turning her vision back to the three headed virus, the royal noticed the devious grin on Turbo's face, his horribly stained teeth clear in her view. As much as Vanellope wanted to scream and run, her former best friends turned viruses and crippling fear prevented such an action.

As the monster advanced closer to the teen queen, the head of Turbo extended its neck towards her at lightning speed as the monster stomped its left foot and created another earth shattering quake. Quickly reacting, Vanellope shut her eyes tightly and covered her face with her right arm, quickly defending herself against the attack Turbo launched against her.

Unhitching her breath from her throat, breathing as if she were taking her last breath, Vanellope's eyes shot open as the core quickly sat up. Panting heavily, the royal frantically looked around and noticed she was in her bedroom, surrounded by the Sugar Rush racers. Even Jet and Set stood among the racers dressed in their new blue and white jumps suits with Sugar Rush's logos on the front of the jacket, matching shoes included.

Getting her breathing under control, Vanellope carefully observed the looks that graced their faces and noticed that they looked upset. Confused by their expressions, Taffyta approached her and broke the silence.

"Van, we got the orange tag." Taffyta informed her, the painfully sad expression on her face unchanging. "Gloyd and I overheard Litwak saying that it is a possibility that our game will be unplugged if the tremors continue. They have gotten so bad that we haven't had a quarter alert since early yesterday."

"We just became racers of this game." Set added in, his voice also dripping with worry. "If this game gets unplugged, we will never get the chance to race!"

"For most of us, never again." Swizzle voiced as he turned his vision towards the ground.

Hearing that caused the core's eyes to widen to the size of medium sized dinner plates. Running a lazy hand through her damp raven hair, Vanellope looked among them while trying to search for the right words to calm their fears.

However, from what she just learned, there might not be any words that could possibly accomplish that, especially after the nightmare she just had...

 _Currently_

There it was, clear as day, the orange tag that no game cabinet ever wanted to receive. Staring at their possible doom like she was, Vanellope could have sworn that her pupils were the same as the picture that sat before her. Gathered behind her were the turbo twins and the other sugar rush racers as they all stood at the game's screen that was positioned right over the race tracks. The game's demo silently played underneath the orange tag as the shadow of Litwak and his technician were seen right in front of the game cabinet.

"I don't know what happened." Everyone heard Litwak begin. "It was working fine before the holiday weekend and when I came back, the game was acting extremely wonky!"

"Did the arcade experience a blackout or any power surges that you know of?" The technician questioned as he turned his vision to the game's screen to notice the demo playing. Hair line zig zag lines zipped across the screen as the game experienced a slight tremor.

"I checked in on everything during the break and everything was normal to me." Litwak continued as he looked to the screen. "At least it appeared that way to me."

"The game may just be experiencing a short lag." The tech voiced. "Those happen during the time a game is not being played. How old is this thing anyway?"

"About fifteen years old, but Fix It Felix Jr is older than this game by 15 years and it's working just fine." Litwak explained. "Both were here during the break. The wack-a-mole is twenty years older than both of these games and even that is working to efficiency."

"Are your surge protectors plugged into the wall or some other source of power?" The tech continued to inquire as he turned his attention back to Litwak.

"The wall." Litwak simply answered.

"Has any electrical work been done in the arcade or any other part of this area before the game's recent hiccups?" The tech asked once more as he pulled out his clipboard and began writing down information on the top sheet. "Any electrical poles being changed?"

"In here, no, the general area, not to my knowledge." Litwak answered.

"When you close the arcade for the night and during the breaks, do you shut down every game?" The tech continued as he continued writing.

"Do you know how long that would take to shut down each and every one of these machines at closing and how _much_ longer it would take to boot up every game when I open?" Litwak replied his voiced slightly pitched.

"Alright." The tech voiced as he clicked his pen and placed it at the top of his clipboard. "I will send someone over later on to check everything out. From what it sounds like, the game maybe on its last legs and may need to be unplugged."

"But the game is still pretty new and just had an upgrade." Litwak calmly argued. "It can't be ready to go out to the pastures just yet."

"Maybe the upgrade caused a malfunction in the software." The tech expressed. "It happens sometimes when an upgrade seemingly installed fine, but later corrupts the game's software due to the game developers' oversight. If an exact determination can't be made as to what is causing the malfunction after the test is run, you may not have a choice in the matter."

The tech then tore off the top sheet of paper and handed it to litwak before walking off. The arcade owner looked to the sheet and then turned to the sugar themed game, a sad sigh being released.

"I hate to admit it, but it looks like it maybe time to replace you." Litwak voiced as he turned from the game and walked out of sight.

At the mention of possibly being unplugged, gasps and chatter of worry began behind the royal as a pang of hurt struck the raven haired teen's heart. She gripped the area of her shirt where her heart is located.

"They can't unplug us!" Taffyta being the first to speak up as Vanellope turned to the crowd behind her. "We just got rid of the virus and had one killer upgrade!"

"We just our avatars integrated into the game!" Set added in as he motioned between himself and his brother. "We can't lose it now!"

"We can't let our game go becuase of what one virus did to it!" Minty voiced with worry.

"Two." Gloyd chimed in.

"Two viruses did to it!" Minty corrected herself, her voice still laced with worry.

"Alright everyone, please calm down." Vanellope calmly voiced to her friends/teammates. "I know things look bad right now, but there is a way to fix it. I will-"

"Why didn't we catch this virus unlike before when Turbo invaded our game and wiped our memories?" Jubileena spoke up abruptly, her voice also laced with extreme worry. "Why does everything happen to our game?! Wack-a-mole doesn't experience this! Not even Tron experiences these problems! Why us?!"

"Jubileena, I have a plan to fix this." Vanellope patiently continued. "I know that I have to-"

"Why wasn't the virus protection turned on?!" Adorabeezle expressed with slight anger. "We could have stopped another incident from occurring! Why is it there if we never use it?!"

"Garry must have shut it down somehow when he got into the code vault." Swizzle theorized. "Prez, did you notice anything different when you were in the code vault and discovered Garry was there? Was the antivirus code box damaged in anyway which was why it didn't activate?"

"I didn't get to check everything out." Vanellope voiced as she tried her hardest not to let her temper flare amongst the present confusion. "I only noticed that Rancis's code box was affected by Garry and that a cybug was present. That was all!"

"If our game gets unplugged, what are we going to do?" Crumbelina spoke up. "Where are we going to go? I can't imagine living in Game Central Station!"

"Neither can I!" Citrusella Flugpucker added in.

"I'm certainly not doing that again." Jet added in.

"What are we going to do Vanellope?!" Sticky added to the worry.

"I'm going to go Turbo to get our game fixed!" Vanellope blurted out to prevent being cut off once more.

Sudden gasps were heard among the group as everyone turned to the racer next to them before turning back to Vanellope with gazes of horror and concern.

"You're what?!" Taffyta nearly screamed as everyone's eyes widened. "Vanellope, are you nuts?! If you go turbo, we'll be unplugged for sure! Vanellope no! There has to be another way! No way you're going Turbo!"

"What other choice do I have Taffyta?" Vanellope replied with an exasperated sigh. "Rancis and I discovered a map in my father's code box that points out exactly where his blocks of data are in this game and in Tron Legacy. It's the only choice I have, not to mention these tremors are wrecking havoc on my code alone. In order for this game to exist beyond it's prime, the king must exist in this time. I have to bring my dad back so our game can be saved and so these tremors can stop threatening to shut it down."

"Rancis, you knew about this and you didn't try to talk her out of it?" Crumbelina questioned as everyone angrily turned to Rancis and slowly began to advance on him. "Do you know what could happen to us?!"

Unable to keep her temper from bubbling to the surface, Vanellope glitched from in front of the screen and front of Rancis to keep the angry racers back.

"It is not Rancis's fault for the decision I have made." Vanellope calmly voiced to everyone. "I made the decision to go turbo because if I don't, we will lose this game for sure! The only way to fix it is from an outside source and the only one who can fix this is me!"

"But I encouraged you to do this so it is practically my fault." Rancis spoke up, guilt riddled in his voice. "They have a right to be upset with me."

"No they don't." Vanellope calmly expressed as she turned to Rancis with a slight smile. "You had nothing to do with my decision. If anything, you supported my decision and that's what anyone would want. You have _nothing_ to be sorry for."

Vanellope's smile widened a bit more with Rancis returning the smile to her. From where the mellocreme pumpkin themed racer stood in the crowd, Gloyd felt himself becoming jealous at the scene before him. Although he would never admit to it.

"So here's my plan." Vanellope began as she turned back to the racers. "I will head into the code vault, upload my father's map into my code box, and from there head off to the first destination, Tron Legacy where the first block of his data is located. I am putting Taffyta in charge while I'm gone and frequently check in on you all to make sure you are all ok. In the event that I have to turn back from my mission, I'm not letting you guys go down alone becuase I'll going down with you."

"But how are you going to keep in contact with us?" Gloyd questioned as he stepped forward.

"Through Taffyta and the open link we share through my code." Vanellope answered. "She is the only one, outside of my father, that I have this link with. That's how she will keep me updated while I'm gone."

"How did that happen?" Sticky questioned to Adorabeezle, who in turned shrugged.

"Do we share an open link through our codes Swizz?" Gloyd questioned to the twisted candy themed racer.

"If we did, you wouldn't know how to use it." Swizzle cracked.

"So without further ado, I'm going to head to the code vault to upload the necessary data from my father's code box and then head off." Vanellope informed everyone. "Does anyone have a concern of any kind that they would like to voice before I head off?"

All eyes were on the royal, but no one uttered a word of concern or had any questions to ask.

"Alright then." Vanellope voiced with a nod. "Taffyta, you're now in charge and I trust you will keep things together while I'm gone."

"I'll try to do my best." Taffyta quietly spoke.

Turning from the crowd, Vanellope began heading back towards the castle, leaving the group of racers at the tracks wondering just what will happen to the game when their ruler game jumps. Taffyta then broke from the crowd as she began following behind Vanellope, with hopes of trying to talk her out of her plan.

Turning from the crowd, Rancis also began moving towards the castle when he felt someone roughly grab his shoulder and whirl him around. He found himself face to face with Gloyd with one annoyed expression on his face.

"Why did you encourage her to game jump?!" Gloyd angrily hissed to the peanut butter themed racer. "Do you know what could happen if she actually goes through with it?"

"You heard what she said Gloyd." Rancis spoke up as he stepped back from the angry racer. "There is no other way to do it. It's either we gather those blocks of data of the king or this game will shut down with one good tremor. Without the king in existence, this game's instability will be its end! Weren't you listening to anything she said just a moment ago?"

"You should have stopped her and I didn't once hear her say 'we' when she mentioned game jumping!" Gloyd continued as he stepped closer to Rancis and poked his right index finger into his chest. "But if you don't stop her, I will! She's far too important to this game, _obviously_ something _you_ weren't thinking about when you encouraged her to pull that suicide move!"

Looking into the pumpkin themed racer's eyes, Rancis gave him the once over as a sly smirk appeared on his face.

"Wait, this isn't about Vanellope game jumping isn't it?" Rancis began deducing as he shook his head. "This is about what she decided about us. Gloyd, now is not the time to get into this."

"This is totally about you practically _pushing_ her into game jumping!" Gloyd defended. "Don't try to stray from the topic!"

"No it isn't." Rancis argued back. "Look, Vanellope made her choice when she called me her boyfriend. She chose me so let's put that aside and focus on what's important now which is our game and the apparent doom it's in."

"So it couldn't be any other girl on this team?" Gloyd continued. "It had to be her?! What about Sticky or even Minty? Why Vanellope huh?!"

"Gloyd, I'm not getting into this with you." Rancis dismissed as he threw his right hand up and turned away. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have my _girlfriend_ to see off."

As the racer continued walking away, Gloyd kept his angry gaze on his racing and now romantic rival, his anger seething with each step he watched him take.

"This isn't over Fluggerbutter!" Gloyd hissed as he turned from Rancis's direction and back towards the tracks.

Having left the death gaze of the pumpkin themed racer, Rancis began making his way towards the castle, shutting his eyes as he released a sigh along the way. Inhaling and exhaling one last time, Rancis opened his eyes as he suddenly bumped into something that caused him to fall back on to the ground rather roughly. Looking up, the peanut butter themed racer found out just what, or rather who, he bumped into. Ralph turned around and noticed Rancis sitting on the ground behind him.

"Oh I'm sorry kid." Ralph apologized as he offered Rancis his rather large right hand to help him up. "I didn't see you back there. You ok?"

"Yea, I'm fine." Rancis replied as he took Ralph's hand and got to his feet. "I guess I didn't see you there."

"I knew we should have let Vanellope know we were coming first." Felix expressed in a light laugh as he walked to Ralph's left. "But you always have to do it your way don't you brother?"

"Well, I just came to check on her and see how she's doing after everything that happened with Garry." Ralph replied as he turned to Felix. "Plus her coronation and birthday is coming up."

"You wouldn't happen to know where Vanellope would be at the moment would you?" Felix politely questioned to Rancis with a smile.

"Everything is fine Ralph." Rancis answered as he looked away from the wrecker and the handyman. "She's in the castle and is packing up to go out at the moment."

"If I had of known she was busy, I would have come much later to check on her." Ralph expressed as he ran his left hand through his hair. "Any idea where she's headin' off to?"

"To Tron Legacy." Rancis revealed as the ground beneath them moderately shook from a tremor. "She's planning to go turbo."

The look of shock crossed the handyman and wrecker's faces as they quickly turned to each and back to the peanut butter themed racer.

"She's what?!" Felix and Ralph questioned loudly, shocked by the news they just received.

 **Candy Kingdom (Code Vault)**

"I know you placed me in charge while you were gone, but there is no way I can run this place like you can!" Taffyta continued trying to reason with the royal, who was intently focused on her father's code box as she put in the code to unlock it. "I was able to keep things going while you were recovering from your fight with Garry, but that was while you were around!"

With the code inputted and approved, the king's code box opened after the two taps Vanellope gave it. Using her right index finger, Vanellope shuffled through the files in the code box and once the one file she needed came into view, she plucked it from the lineup. It then closed as Vanellope floated two inches back from the box and swam up to her box high above the rest in the vault, the royal clutching the file tightly.

"Will you listen to me Vanellope?!" Taffyta pleaded as she watched Vanellope tap and open her code box. "There is another way to do this that doesn't involve game jumping! Did you stop to think what would happen to us if you fail to bring your father back?! If something were to happen to you outside of this game?! Any of that?! You are the core here and without your code running this game, we are all doomed! If you die outside of your game, you _don't_ regenerate Vanellope!"

"Then tell me Taffyta, what other way is there to save Sugar Rush?!" Vanellope barked as she placed the file from her father's box in her own while turning to her cohort. "You heard what Litwak and the tech said. If the bug doesn't get fixed after what he tries, we will be unplugged! The only way to save this game is through game jumping! The first block is in Tron Legacy while the rest of his data is here in the game so I will be back, just not right away. There is no other way around this so whether you like it or not, I have to do this!"

"You don't know anything about Tron Legacy!" Taffyta continued, her noticing data streams scroll down the royal's eyes as her father's file was downloaded to her code box. "What if you step one foot in there and you're eliminated on the spot? I heard how rough that game is and they have laser guns with precision shots that will destroy your data instantly! Please Vanellope think about this and don't do it!"

"I have no other choice Taffyta." Vanellope calmly replied as she turned away from the strawberry themed racer and back to her code box as it closed. "I know you're worried about what I'm about to do, but just know that I am doing this for all of you. My mother and father left me this legacy and if they were here, they would be disappointed, livid even, if I let the Candy legacy go under. This is my job as the future queen to go the lengths for you all, for this game and I won't rest until I save our home. Even if it means losing a part of me in the process."

"And just what part of you were you planning to lose along the way?!" Taffyta panicked as Vanellope turned to her, a defeated look upon her face.

"Whichever part makes sure my father is regenerated back on to this grid and that this game will stay in this arcade." Vanellope sympathetically voiced as she approached Taffyta and placed her hands firmly onto the girl's shoulders. "But what I really need from you and everyone else right now is to trust me. Trust me when I say I will return to you all and trust me when I say that everything will be fine. If I can handle two deadly virus invasions and becoming a virus myself with the second invasion, then I can handle anything that is thrown at me. I have the Candy Code remember? The strongest code there is."

A smile then graced the royal's face as tears swelled in the strawberry themed racer's eyes, the iridescent purple and blues of the data streams besides them highlighting the salt water. Just staring into her leader's face, large tears spilled down Taffyta's cheeks as she hastily pulled Vanellope into a hug, gripping her shirt as more tears rolled down her cheeks.

"You better return to this game in one piece!" Taffyta expressed as more tears spilled down her cheeks and onto Vanellope's shirt. Her body deeply shook from an oncoming sob.

Vanellope returned the hug and laid her head on Taffyta's right shoulder as she shut her eyes, tears rushing to the surface of them. As hard as she tried to retain them, tiny tears spilled down Vanellope's cheeks as she inhaled a sniff.

"I won't let you down." Vanellope voiced as she squeezed Taffyta closer into the hug.

 **Race Tracks**

"You better start talking cavity and now!" Ralph demanded as he towered over the peanut buttercup themed racer who looked as if he was ready to faint from an overload of fear. "Whatever convinced her into goin' turbo, you better go talk her out of it _right_ now!"

"Ralph, calm down." Felix calmly requested to his cohort as he held onto the large wrecker's right arm as the index finger of that hand was pointed towards the scared racer. "I'm sure Vanellope made up her own mind to do this."

"She did." Rancis finally spoke, though his words came out in a stammer. "Our game is extremely unstable thanks to Garry's virus invasion and the only way to save it is to regenerate her father back onto the grid. He even left that message in his code box under the map Vanellope found when we were in the code vault. You have to believe me when I say that she made up her mind to do this. I guess I just helped her along as I want to save this game as much as she does."

"You _WHAT?!"_ Ralph fumed further as he took a step towards Rancis, but was stopped by Felix stepping in front of him.

"Ralph, calm down before you have one dozy of a game over!" Felix sternly spoke to the wrecker. The wrecker stepped back and turned away while running his left hand through his hair, exhaling a frustrated sigh through his nose.

Turning back to Rancis, who breathed a sigh of relief that Ralph was no longer interrogating him for the time, Felix's signature smile returned to his face.

"So what exactly happened that lead Vanellope to want to go turbo?" Felix calmly inquired.

Before the racer could open his mouth to answer, an intense tremor suddenly struck the game that threatened to tear the ground beneath the three a part. Felix quickly grabbed onto Rancis's arms to prevent himself and the racer from taking a tumble while Ralph easily regained his balance.

"I'm going to take a wild guess and say maybe that is the reason?" Felix expressed as he fixed his hat on his head.

"I don't care what the reason is!" Ralph roared as he turned back to Felix and Rancis, who immediately stiffed up at the wrecker's death glare. "She's not doing it!"

"It's not like she has much of a choice Ralph!" Rancis dared to argue with the fired up wrecker, never minding the consequences for doing so. "Our game is done for if he's not regenerated back onto the grid! But she won't be doing it alone because I'm going with her!"

"You better believe you are!" Ralph confirmed as he pointed his right finger firmly in the boy's direction. "Because if anything happens to her, you'll suffer the same fate and I'll see to that!"

Felix released an exasperated sigh as he stood between the racer and the erupting volcano that was Wreck It Ralph. While Felix was aware that Ralph cared deeply for Vanellope, he knew he had the tendency to go overboard sometimes.

"We all care deeply about Vanellope Ralph, but now is not the time to get in an uproar." Felix intervened calmly. "I believe him if he says she decided this on her own. If she has a good reason for game jumping, then she is aware of what the consequences are for doing so. You just have to trust her."

The wrecker grunted as he turned away from Felix and Rancis while throwing his hands in the air with dismay.

"I'm going to go check on Vanellope now." Rancis quietly spoke as he turned in the direction of the castle only to see Vanellope with a backpack on her back and Taffyta walking in their direction. "Or maybe not because she's headed this way with Taffyta."

Hearing that, Ralph looked to his right to see Vanellope and Taffyta running in their direction.

"Ralph! Felix!" Vanellope hollered with excitement as she quickly neared the three and leapt into Ralph's arms while latching her arms around his neck, locking him in a hug. "I was hoping to see you guys today!"

Ralph returned the hug and released the teen as she ran over to Felix and hugged him.

"Listen kid, we know that your game has been experiencing a bit of an issue since you defeated Garry, but game jumping won't fix it." Ralph voiced hesitantly as he caught eyes with the royal. "We'll figure something else out, but you don't have to go turbo. This game is far too important to the arcade to get unplugged and I will have the biggest game over if that happened."

"I guess Rancis told you the entire story then." Vanellope expressed. "Ralph, I have no choice and as much as you may try to talk me out of it, I'm not changing my mind. As a future queen, I have to take these kinds of risks. I have a responsibility to everyone here and this is a part of that responsibility."

"I already tried and she won't even listen to me." Taffyta chimed in with a slight smile, despite the dried tear stains evident on her flushed cheeks.

"After I return from Tron Legacy, I'll return to the game as the rest of my father's data blocks are here." Vanellope explained as her vision held strong to the wrecker's. "I know how you feel about this Ralph, but there is no need to worry. I can handle myself out there and I'll be in contact with Taffyta along the way. So I won't really be alone."

The wrecker lowered his vision to the ground as he released a sigh, but just as quickly returned it to his best friend. Despite her upgrade, a part of him still sees the princess as the little girl he met as the game's outcast. That part of him just won't let her grow up.

"I promise I'll be ok." Vanellope voiced with a small smile to her best friend. "And I'll see you soon, all of you. This isn't goodbye, but more see you later."

Hugging the wrecker as best as she could around his middle, a small smile appeared on the man's face as he returned the hug as best as he could.

"Ok, ok, don't get all mushy on me kid." Ralph joked.

Releasing the wrecker, Vanellope gave her last goodbyes to Taffyta, Rancis, and lastly Felix. From there, she headed off towards the entrance of the game to her first destination. Ralph then turned toward Rancis, a sneer that can cut glass etched in his features.

"You _better_ follow her and keep a _close_ eye on her." Ralph growled deeply in demand. "I don't care _what_ you have to do, but make sure she returns here _without_ a scratch!"

From where he stood with what racers were left standing at the game's screen, Gloyd overheard the entire conversation between Ralph and Rancis, a devious smirk coming to his face.

"You better believe _I_ will Ralph." Gloyd voiced to himself as he began making his way towards the castle...

* * *

 _ **As mentioned in my profile, I will try to make next month's update despite next month being a really busy month for me. I just got a job promotion so that's keeping me progressively busy during the weekdays plus my wedding taking place on the 14**_ _ **th**_ _ **of next month so lots to do, lots to do lol. At least I got the weekends off so no matter what happens, updates are still in the forecast! :) If nothing else,**_

 _ **Review Please!**_


	3. Secrets of Game Jumping and Deception

Chapter 3: Secrets of Tron Legacy I

'Vanellope's first destination is the infamous Tron Legacy game to begin the start of her father's generation, but what has unnerved Gloyd to the point of the sudden change in his behavior? Could it be more than mere jealousy?'

 **Chapter Inspiration: Together (Extended Remix) by Throttle**

 _Previously_

"I guess Rancis told you the entire story then." Vanellope expressed. "Ralph, I have no choice and as much as you may try to talk me out of it, I'm not changing my mind. As a future queen, I have to take these kinds of risks. I have a responsibility to everyone here and this is a part of that responsibility."

"I already tried and she won't even listen to me." Taffyta chimed in with a slight smile, despite the dried tear stains evident on her flushed cheeks.

"After I return from Tron Legacy, I'll return to the game as the rest of my father's data blocks are here." Vanellope explained as her vision held strong to the wrecker's. "I know how you feel about this Ralph, but there is no need to worry. I can handle myself out there and I'll be in contact with Taffyta along the way. So I won't really be alone."

The wrecker lowered his vision to the ground as he released a sigh, but just as quickly returned it to his best friend. Despite her upgrade, a part of him still sees the princess as the little girl he met as the game's outcast. That part of him just won't let her grow up.

"I promise I'll be ok." Vanellope voiced with a small smile to her best friend. "And I'll see you soon, all of you. This isn't goodbye, but more see you later."

Hugging the wrecker as best as she could around his middle, a small smile appeared on the man's face as he returned the hug as best as he could.

"Ok, ok, don't get all mushy on me kid." Ralph joked.

Releasing the wrecker, Vanellope gave her last goodbyes to Taffyta, Rancis, and lastly Felix. From there, she headed off towards the entrance of the game to her first destination. Ralph then turned toward Rancis, a sneer that can cut glass etched in his features.

"You _better_ follow her and keep a _close_ eye on her." Ralph growled deeply in demand. "I don't care _what_ you have to do, but make sure she returns here _without_ a scratch!"

From where he stood with what racers were left standing at the game's screen, Gloyd overheard the entire conversation between Ralph and Rancis, a devious smirk coming to his face.

"You better believe _I_ will Ralph." Gloyd voiced to himself as he began making his way towards the castle...

 _Currently_

"So that Sugar Rush Game is having another issue so I heard from Mario." Princess Peach voiced as her, Rosalina, and Daisy walked through the halls of Game Central Station. "Why doesn't Litwak just do us all a favor and just unplug it? It's a waste of an outlet if you ask me! And that princess Vanellope, she is _not_ fit to be the ruler of that or _any_ game in this arcade!"

"Well it is the most played game in the arcade next to that fix it game." Rosalina positively expressed about the sugar themed game. "Maybe the problem it has will fix itself. I mean, no game in this arcade is without faults Peach. If I'm not mistaken, wasn't your game temporarily unplugged due to a power outage that nearly fried its circuits?"

Daisy quickly covered her mouth to stifle an oncoming laugh in response to Rosalina's statement.

"That came after the upgrade!" Peach mumbled as she crossed her arms while the three continued to walk down the hall. "But at least our game got plugged back in and is working flawlessly now!"

"Yea flawless." Rosalina mumbled with an eyeroll.

Not too far from where the princesses were walking, Vanellope's ears caught what Peach stated about her game, having been in the halls of Game Central Station for only fifteen minutes. Despite how unsettling that statement was, the royal knew that each minute on the clock was a minute she could not afford to waste. While normally a quick glitch, trip, and slip up was in order to put the snooty princess in her place, Vanellope knew she could not afford that this time around, no matter how tempting it was.

"And if I have anything to do with it, my game will doing _exactly_ that!" Vanellope voiced as she entered the main area of Game Central Station's hallway.

Looking around the station for Tron Legacy's marquee and outlet, the royal was immediately stopped by the surge protector springing up just as she took a step to begin her journey. Since being unplugged from their normal one string to the two string surge protector, the surge protector that stood before the royal was much more buffed, wore sunglass, dressed in a complete police officer's uniform, and the clipboard in his large hands appeared as if holding the artifact was a tedious task.

"Name?" The protector sternly requested as his shaded eyes caught with the royal's.

"Surge? Is that you?" Vanellope voiced as she gave the man before her a once over with a slight whistle. "You got one heck of an upgrade! You look much more macho!"

"State your name miss!" The protector requested once more, which quickly annoyed the royal.

"Vanellope Von Schweetz." Vanellope answered with a sigh.

"And where are you coming from?" The surge protector continued as his large fingers did their best to grip the pencil while he wrote on the clipboard.

"Sugar Rush, my game." Vanellope replied once more.

"And you're going to?" He continued.

"Tron Legacy." Vanellope replied, high levels of irritation evident in her voice. "Listen, I have to get to Tron right now! My game is in huge trouble and the more I stand here and answer _your_ questions, the more time I'm losing! If I don't get over there right now, my game will be unplugged! So if you'll excuse me!"

Just as Vanellope took a step to go around the man, he swiftly held out his arm to prevent her leaving his presence. The girl tried to glitch around him the other way, but was stopped from going in that direction as well. Stepping back, the royal crossed her arms while giving the surge protector her look of disapproval.

"I am only following the arcade's regulations miss!" The surge protector sternly voiced. "After Turbo nearly got lose in the arcade, being bent on destroying it, we can't afford anymore close calls. If you could just kindly comply with what I'm asking you, you'll be out of here in no time!"

"For user's sake! I'm the _ruler_ of my game, am well known in these parts, and stop calling me miss!" Vanellope argued. "The name is Vanellope! Princ-president Vanellope Von Schweetz! There is no way you can compare me to that virus!"

"Do you have anything to declare miss?" The surge protector questioned, completely ignoring the royal's rant as he turned back to his clipboard, preparing to write down what she may want to declare before she could pass. His large hand once again struggled to hold onto the tiny pencil.

Not hearing the teen reply to his question, he looked around his clipboard to find the girl not standing in front of him. Turning around and looking around for her through the many citizens that walked the hall of GCS, he could not spot her among them anywhere. Looking to his left and right frantically, the results still came up the same.

"That's the fourth one I lost this week!" The surge protector sighed heavily as he continued looking through the citizens and the general area for the princess-president. "This is coming out of my pay at the end of the week!"

Not spotting the raven haired teen anywhere in sight, the surge protector turned away and looked to his clipboard.

"I seriously need a new career." The protector declared as he zipped away in a flash.

Having silently glitched around the surge protector and found the marquee to Tron Legacy, the royal stood inside of the game's wires, observing her surroundings before walking into the unknown. From where the girl stood, she could see, off in the distance in the game, neon white lights that ran along the circuits of the futuristic game. Closing her eyes, the girl inhaled a deep breath.

"Ok, first destination." Vanellope voiced to herself as she opened her eyes and journeyed further down the game's wires. "I'm just going to get in, get that block of data, and get out. No one will even know I'm not apart of the game. Thank you Turbo for my awesome glitching abilities, don't fail me now!"

Stepping closer to the entrance of the game, the royal crossed the threshold into the futuristic game, the barrier conforming to her figure as she entered. Becoming instantly entranced by the scenery before her, Vanellope stopped dead in her tracks and looked around to take in the entirety of the game's environment.

The floors in which the girl was mere seconds from stepping foot on, electric white streams of data ran along the grids, going nowhere in particular, as they raced forward, the sky of the game was similar to that of hero's duty minus the ominous thunder clouds that hung above the city like a stoic nightmare. The buildings off in the distance looked as if they were never touched by corrosion of time, being rebuilt with each boot up the game got, and the light bikes that whizzed off in the distance left behind iridescent white, cyan blue, and/or majestic light trails in their wake. In the hazel eyes of the princess-president, the scene was absolutely breathtaking and was something that would be coded in her memory forever.

"Sweet mother of monkey milk! This game is too awesome!" Vanellope complimented as a drone flew overhead, leaving in its wake a neon blue light trail that streaked across the sky of the game. "This game looks almost like hero's duty minus the cybug problem. I've got to tell Tamora about this place after I get this block and get out."

Raising her right foot to take one step forward onto the game's grid, the royal's right foot was quickly pulled back to the ground and locked into place by electromagnetic footholds that emerged from the ground. Looking down, the raven haired teen frantically tried to move her feet, but couldn't due to the footholds holding her feet firmly into place.

"For user's sake!" Vanellope cursed as she tried to glitch forward, but found her ability unable to surface while being held into place. "What is going on here?!"

"Intruder alert!" A monotoned voice spoke overhead. "Security breach at the main entrance! Investigate and eliminate intruder on sight!"

Having heard the voice, Vanellope looked forward and noticed a dozen soldiers dressed in black form fitting jumpsuits with neon white stripes running along the arms, legs, and sides of the suit standing before with their pulse guns pointed towards her. The memory of when Taffyta warned the ruler about the guns the players in the game carried came rushing back to the teen, her heart leaping into her throat at the mere imagery. Swallowing the lump that formed in her throat, a nervous smile crawled onto her features as she looked amongst the soldiers.

"So, now wouldn't be a good time to ask if any of you have seen a salmon and cyan blue data block around here?" Vanellope questioned with a light laugh, attempting to lighten the mood.

"Cease fire gentlemen." A husky smooth voice spoke to the group. "I can take it from here."

Looking among the soldiers, the royal searched for the source of the voice that spoke, but didn't spot anyone that stood out. However, her search was cut short by the soldiers parting and a figure dressed in black spandex, had neon blue circles positioned at different points on his suit, black boots, black hair that was slicked back, blue eyes, and light skin walked into view. The teen's hazel eyes widened at the sight of the figure.

"Vanellope Von Schweetz, the daughter of King D Von Schweetz." A husky yet smooth voice spoke to the teen. "So good of you to join us. I've been looking forward to meeting you for some time. I do believe we have much to talk about."

"Oh my user!" Vanellope gasped. "It's you!"

 **Candy Kingdom (Code Vault)**

Having made his way away from the race tracks, Gloyd entered the castle doors silently and strolled through the hall leading to the throne room, the smirk on his face never moving. Sour Bill, who happened to be walking in the same hall as the pumpkin themed racer, noticed Gloyd walk past him, but didn't bother to stop or even question the teen as to where he was headed or why he was there. Instead, the sour ball of candy kept walking as his little hands were full of papers that Vanellope were to look over upon her return. Plus he figured if the teen was walking through a restricted area, he must have spoken to Vanellope prior before doing so.

Rounding the corner to the throne room and code vault entrance, the pumpkin themed racer noticed the repairmen were still working on the vault doors which made his smirk widen that much more.

"Hiya guys!" Gloyd happily greeted the two men, his devious smirk quickly switching to a cheerful smile. "You're more than welcome to take a break now if you like. You've been working on these doors all day."

One of the men turned to the racer while the other switched his wrench for his socket set.

"We have specific instructions to keep working until the job is done sir." The one repairman stated Taffyta's words verbatum as he too switched his tools in his toolbox. "Those were the instructions given by the young lady who called us to repair the doors. She wants the job done right away and even yelled at us if we didn't."

"Slave driver is more like it." The other repairman mumbled in a joke as he went back to repairing the doors, the game pad specifically. "I was waiting for the cracking of the whip!"

"Well I spoke to Taffyta and you're welcome to take a break now if you like." Gloyd confidently fibbed as the men both turned to him. "And trust me when I say, Taffyta's bark is worse than her bite. Go on, you two deserve a break."

"You know, if we go now, we can catch that ice cream truck we spotted on our way in here." The left guy stated. "The one with the ice cream bar I haven't had in years."

"I know just what one you're talking about." The right guy agreed as both men put their tools down and got to their feet. "That's one of my favorites as well. The truck shouldn't have gotten too far since we last saw it. Let's go. Thanks kid."

Sliding their toolboxes against the door, both men began making their way down the hall while continuing their conversation about their favorite ice cream bar.

"No, thank you." Gloyd quietly voiced as he turned his attention away from the two and towards the code vault doors that were slightly hung open. With his devious smirk returning, Gloyd pried open the doors and grabbed a licorice rope upon entering the cyan walkway.

As he tied the rope around his waist, hot white streams of code ran along the avenues of the boy's arms and up to his hands. Turning around to the gaping opening of the code vault itself, Gloyd walked slowly to the opening and approached the edge, looking into the vault as if searching for something before journeying into the zero gravity space. A flash of white appeared in the boy's eyes, but just as quickly disappeared as he continued staring into the vast darkness of the game's code room.

The pumpkin themed racer then took a dive into the space and began swimming into the sea of code boxes and purplish blue iridescent streams of data that lit up the room like fireflies in a grassy field on a late summer's day.

"Now if I were the ruler's code box, where would I be positioned?" Gloyd deviously spoke to himself as he looked between the code boxes while floating passed them. His question was answered as he looked above him and found Vanellope's code box floating in the center of the surrounding code boxes, the box being the brightest and largest among the rest present.

"Exactly where I figured you would be." Gloyd slyly voiced as he swam up towards it. "As if it weren't already obvious."

Floating directly in front of the box, Gloyd pointed his right index finger towards the box as a white code stream raced to the tip of the digit. Gloyd then tapped the ruler's code box twice and with ease, it opened in front of him; his code stream racing along the edges of the code box. Normally, only the core of the game could access any code box in the vault with a password that could never be overrode. But none anticipated an outside source that could override the password that locks the code boxes.

Gloyd's eyes scanned the box's information, his vision dancing around from file to file in search of his destination. However his search ended when his eyes landed on the left side of the code box, to the communication link box the ruler had to her right hand woman, Taffyta. Seeing this made the boy smile deviously.

"Bingo." Gloyd voiced as he pointed his right index finger towards the link. "Let's make a slight adjustment to this shall we?"

Pointing his finger mere centimeters from the communication link, the link melted in half with both segments falling into the code box opposite of each other. The connection that held the link's box sparked wildly. Taking note of his handiwork, Gloyd's devious smile grew wider.

"Now Vanellope will have no way to reach Taffyta and vice versa." Gloyd voiced as the code box closed in front of him. "Once Sugar Rush shuts down for good, Tron will have complete control over its mainframe. Revenge is bittersweet, wouldn't you say my dear Vanellope? Not even the king will be able to stop the invasion, _if_ you can bring him back that is! I'll make sure to keep an eye on the princess myself just as I promised that _big ape_!"

With his job complete, the pumpkin themed racer began making his way back to the code vault's opening.

 **Sugar Rush (Race Tracks)**

"Ok everyone, we are going to commence with the random roster race like it's a normal day." Taffyta announced as she faced the other racers. "We just have to keep moving despite the situation we're facing. Jet, Set, did you guys make your karts yet?"

"Yep we did and we can't wait to rip up the tracks with them!" Jet happily replied as he fist pumped the air.

A small smile appeared on Set's face, being happy to be a part of a game after fifteen years. But the dilemma the game faced held back his own excitement that his brother proudly displayed.

"Great." Taffyta continued with a slight smile, the ground beneath everyone shaking from a slight tremor. "Alright, everyone go get your karts and line up at the start line. We will make this work in Vanellope's absence as if no particular threat to our game were present."

"How soon do you think you'll hear from Vanellope?" Jubileena questioned as the other racers headed for the warehouse their karts were parked in.

"I'm not sure Jubileena, but it should be soon." Taffyta replied with a nod. "I will let you all know when I hear from her, but for right now, line your kart up at the start line so we can get this race going."

Nodding in agreement, Jubileena began making her way to the castle's warehouse where the karts were parked along with everyone else. Taffyta then turned to Ralph, Felix, and Rancis.

"Rancis, you go with everyone else and you two can go watch from the stands if you like." Taffyta instructed as she watched Rancis began making his way towards the castle.

"As great of an offer as that is little lady, it's best if we begin heading back to our game." Felix replied in his usual perky tone. "Don't want to miss out on any quarter alerts as this time of the day is our busiest."

"Just let us know if you hear anything from Vanellope alright?" Ralph kindly requested as he and Felix turned and began making their way away from the race tracks. "I've got some buildings to wreck and I'm going to wreck them good!"

"And you do that job well brother." Felix voiced with a laugh.

Before Taffyta could reply to Ralph in agreeing to let him know when she's heard from the ruler, a very strong tremor suddenly struck that knocked Taffyta, Ralph, and Felix off of their feet and split the race tracks down the middle! Lifting herself up and flipping over on her right side, facing towards the race tracks, the strawberry themed racer witnessed the announcer's stand disappear into the huge crack on the tracks as the gathering crowd quickly fled from the scene.

"That was one strong hit and being a wrecker, that says alot!" Ralph expressed as he climbed to his feet with ease. "I don't think I could ever do as much damage as that tremor just did! I don't think I ever did when I wreck the buildings in my game!"

"You must not know your own strength Ralph." Felix expressed as he pulled himself up from the ground.

"I would _love_ to know just what Garry did to unhinge our game!" Taffyta barked as she propped herself up on her elbows. Felix approached the racer and helped her to her feet. "It's like he's somehow still pulling the strings from beyond the grave."

"Maybe Garry's virus code is still intertwined in the coding of the game somehow." Ralph hypothesized. "Vanellope did destroy him in the code vault after all."

"But she told us her father reset the game after the shutdown which should have erased Garry's code from the programming entirely." Felix added in. "That is part of what a reset is for right?"

"That's what I'm wondering, is it." Taffyta expressed.

"Taffyta! The entire west area of the game is out!" Jet's voice screamed as he and Set ran into view, catching the attention of Taffyta, Ralph, and Felix. "We went to retrieve our karts as you asked, but a tremor hit that not only jammed the door of the warehouse, but also shut down the tracks we were to run today!"

"Cakeway, Frost Rally, and Oreo Overpass!" Set named off in a slight panic. "Even Blizzard Mountain is shut down! The jumbotron that keeps tracks of the scores on that side of the game is literally cracked in half!"

"Thanks for letting me know guys." Taffyta thanked him with a nod. "I'll let Vanellope know right away."

"Felix, you head back to Fix It Felix while I stay here to help these guys out." Ralph voiced in urgency. "If there are any quarter alerts, try to stall as much as possible until I get there!"

"You got it Ralph." Felix replied as he ran off towards the entrance/exit of the game while Ralph ran in the direction of the twins so they could direct him to the warehouse.

"Putting through the message to Vanellope right now." Taffyta voiced. "I sure hope she gets this in time."

From Taffyta's code box, a wire from the left side of the box emerged and connected to the right side of the ruler's box, instantly linking them together. The transmission from Taffyta's box was sent out, but instantly fizzled out upon reaching Vanellope's code box, the communication link that connected the ruler to the racer still sparking wildly on the inside...

* * *

 _ **I apologize if this chapter is a bit rushed and/or off. I'm battling a head cold thanks to the photographer wanting to take the memorable wedding photos outside last weekend when it was bit too chilly to do so. Despite it all, if you're interested in viewing my wedding video and pictures, the video and the main photos are posted on my DeviantArt while the remainder are on my facebook page (will give link upon request)! The pictures on both pages will be joined by more once I get the rest back from the photographer. :)**_

 _ **Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to clear up this head cold, but if nothing else, don't forget to,**_

 _ **Review Please!**_


	4. Secrets of The King's Past!

Chapter 4: Secrets of Tron Legacy II!

'Having stepped into Tron Legacy, Vanellope got more than she bargained for when trying to retrieve the first block of her father's data. And just who is the stranger Vanellope is shocked to see? Is there more to the Candy legacy than she knows?'

 **Chapter Inspiration: Destiny by Play (Avalon High Original Score)**

 _Previously_

"I would _love_ to know just what Garry did to unhinge our game!" Taffyta barked as she propped herself up on her elbows. Felix approached the racer and helped her to her feet. "It's like he's somehow still pulling the strings from beyond the grave."

"Maybe Garry's virus code is still intertwined in the coding of the game somehow." Ralph hypothesized. "Vanellope did destroy him in the code vault after all."

"But she told us her father reset the game after the shutdown which should have erased Garry's code from the programming entirely." Felix added in. "That is part of what a reset is for right?"

"That's what I'm wondering, is it." Taffyta expressed.

"Taffyta! The entire west area of the game is out!" Jet's voice screamed as he and Set ran into view, catching the attention of Taffyta, Ralph, and Felix. "We went to retrieve our karts as you asked, but a tremor hit that not only jammed the door of the warehouse, but also shut down the tracks we were to run today!"

"Cakeway, Frost Rally, and Oreo Overpass!" Set named off in a slight panic. "Even Blizzard Mountain is shut down! The jumbotron that keeps tracks of the scores on that side of the game is literally cracked in half!"

"Thanks for letting me know guys." Taffyta thanked him with a nod. "I'll let Vanellope know right away."

"Felix, you head back to Fix It Felix while I stay here to help these guys out." Ralph voiced in urgency. "If there are any quarter alerts, try to stall as much as possible until I get there!"

"You got it Ralph." Felix replied as he ran off towards the entrance/exit of the game while Ralph ran in the direction of the twins so they could direct him to the warehouse.

"Putting through the message to Vanellope right now." Taffyta voiced. "I sure hope she gets this in time."

From Taffyta's code box, a wire from the left side of the box emerged and connected to the right side of the ruler's box, instantly linking them together. The transmission from Taffyta's box was sent out, but instantly fizzled out upon reaching Vanellope's code box, the communication link that connected the ruler to the racer still sparking wildly on the inside...

 _Currently_

 **Fix It Felix Jr.**

Looking to his watch for what seemed like the hundredth time in five minutes, Gene turned his attention back to the two cart train that entered their game cabinet every thirty minutes. Since Felix left over an hour ago, he promised the apartment manager that he would return quickly after checking on Vanellope with Ralph. Considering that both game cabinets do not sit that far apart in the arcade, the handyman and the wrecker should have returned by now so what could be keeping them? Although Gene was more interested in Felix's return than Ralph's...

Tapping his foot uncontrollably on the glistening tiles beneath his feet, Gene turned his attention back to the train that was leaving the game through the tunnel that it entered through. Turning back to his watch, he noticed that the time read exactly two minutes before the arcade were to open. With both guys missing and if they received a quarter alert, Litwak would notice and have their game tagged to be unplugged, a scenario none of the nicelanders wanted to imagine again.

"Come on Felix, where are you?" Gene impatiently muttered to himself as his attention stayed focused on the train's tunnel. "We have _exactly_ two minutes before the arcade opens!"

"Don't forget about Ralph." Deanna's voice chimed in from the window to Gene's left. "He's a big part of our game too."

" _If only I could forget._ " Gene murmured under his breath as he turned back to his watch. "Both guys have exactly two minutes before the arcade opens. If we get a quarter alert and they aren't here, we were going to get unplugged for sure! Someone is bound to take notice!"

"Calm down Gene, they will return." Mary's calm voice of reason expressed to the manager in a window to his right. "Has Felix ever let us down?"

Before the manager could reply to the brunette, the distant sounds of Felix's eight bit leaps caught everyone's ears. Everyone's attention was then turned towards the tunnel that the two cart train entered and exited through.

With a combination of his eight bit leaps and high bounds, Felix arrived back inside the wires of his game. Leaping onto the two cart train that took the players in and out of the game's scene, the handyman made it back on the scene, two minutes ahead of the arcade's opening. Darting to the Niceland apartment building, Felix leapt to the front doors, preparing to take his place for the first quarter alert of the day.

"I'm not sure how I'm going to cover for Ralph, but I'll do my best." Felix voiced to himself as he grabbed his magic hammer from his tool belt and held it tightly in his left hand in its normal position.

"Felix, thankfully you're here!" Gene's voice spoke to the handyman, catching his attention. "Where were you and where is Ralph?"

"Ralph is in Sugar Rush currently." Felix replied through grit teeth, his usual game day smile plastered to his face as he turned back to the screen of his game. "Sugar Rush is experiencing a bit of a glitching issue and Ralph is helping them fix it."

"Why is he over there when he should be over here?!" Gene hissed as the arcade opening chime sounded from outside of the cabinet. "Sugar Rush can handle their own problems! We need him _here_!"

"So are you saying you _need_ Ralph _here_ Gene?" Mary teased as the influx of kids began streaming into the arcade and selecting the games they want to play.

"Yes, Mary, that's exactly what I'm saying!" Gene hissed as a dark haired boy approached the game cabinet with a quarter in his hand.

The boy's green orbs stared into the cabinet, which made the gamers tense up with anticipation of a quarter alert. With Ralph still in Sugar Rush, the anticipation of getting that quarter without him at his usual post began making everyone sweat! The boy looked as if he were interested in inserting his quarter to play the game, but the approach of another child took the boy's attention away entirely. The child that approached the dark haired boy pointed to another game and pulled the boy away to that game. The breath everyone was holding was released, Felix looking as if he were the most exhausted among them from that encounter alone.

"That was a close one!" Gene angrily barked. "Ralph better make it back here and fast before he doesn't have a game to return to! Need we repeat the incident before Turbo was defeated?!"

The two cart train then exited Niceland, which caught everyone's attention. Seeing the empty train exiting the game, a sense of dread fell over the handyman.

"I hope he does as well Gene." Felix muttered to himself. "I hope he does as well."

 **Tron Legacy**

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Vladimir Stripes!" Vanellope begrudgingly expressed as she gave the light skinned man an annoyed once over, her hazel orbs taking in every detail of the man before her. "And here I thought when my father named you the top _scum_ on the face on this arcade, that those were just words of endearment!"

The being, Vladimir, closed his blue eyes as an amused closed lip smirk appeared on his face. Vladimir then opened his eyes and caught with the royal's angered vision, her arms crossed as well.

"I see your father spoke highly of me." Vladimir expressed. "I'm ever so flattered to hear that."

Vanellope didn't respond, but squinted her eyes further in anger.

"Yes, daddy spoke highly about all of his _favorite_ people!" Vanellope barked, her voice laced with hatred. "Especially those who tried to betray him for his kingdom and steal my mother from him! Why do I get the feeling you're related to Turbo or even Garry somehow?"

"That would be because you're sadly mistaken my dear." Vladimir calmly spoke. "Why don't we got for a walk and talk a little bit, hm?"

Before Vanellope could open her mouth to respond, Vladimir uncrossed his arms and raised his right hand, his palm facing the sky. The footholds that were holding the royal in place instantly released her. Not feeling the grip on her ankles any longer, the royal looked down and noticed that her feet were freed.

"Come." Vladimir requested as the soldiers that surrounded the princess-president lined up in perfect formation on both sides of her while lowering their weapons. "We have much to discuss and put a lot into perspective considering your father did not fill you in on the entire story."

Lifting her feet up, the royal began following behind the steps of Vladimir.

"Alright spill it!" Vanellope demanded as she and Vladimir began walking along a random circuit that lit up with a hot white stream of code racing forward underneath their feet. "And before you ask, the first block of my father's coding is in here which is why I'm here, but what I want to know is why is it in here!"

"Patience my dear." Vladimir calmly spoke, his vision firmly focused in front of him. "You have the Candy Code and as I remember, your parents were the most patient rulers in Sugar Rush, especially your mother. She was a pretty little thing and you are a spitting image of the queen if I do say so myself. Raven hair, hazel orbs, curvy figure, she was beautiful."

The sound that revertabrated from Vladimir after describing the royal's late mother sent a chill up her spine, causing the girl to shake a bit.

"Ok, not something I needed to hear, _gross_." Vanellope choked with a light gag. "So, what's the story with you and my father?"

"Oh yes, King Dacian Von Schweetz, the luckiest man in the arcade." Vladimir began as a light chuckle escaped his throat. "We have quite the history if I do say so myself. Your father and I were once comrades in the good old days. After his game got plugged in back at the Disneyland Game Station right next to mine and we met at a game similar to Tappers one night after game day, we became the best of friends. Often speaking about my joining the ranks of Sugar Rush, wanting a change in scenery from my own game, and other musings that might have come to mind. I highly considered accepting your father's proposal, especially after meeting your mother, who I believe was coding you at the time. Something about her made me forget about what musing I had and made the snap decision to join the ranks of Sugar Rush and everything the sweet game had to offer."

"My father's name was Dacian?" Vanellope wondered aloud. "I never knew what that D in his name meant."

"Quite." Vladimir responded.

Vanellope fell quiet as Vladimir continued his story, a light bike off in the distance ahead of them streaked by and leaving in its wake, an iridescent purple light trail.

"I believe things were going to honestly change for me and that your father was going to sign me on to be a guard in his kingdom." Vladimir continued. "But things didn't quite work out that way as I let my greed for your mother's hand get in the way of what could have been one of the greatest opportunities in my life."

 **Flashback**

 _"I remember it as if it all happened yesterday."_ Vladimir began the narration. _"The arcade had just closed and the owner had just shut the doors for the night. The halls of the Disneyland station were beginning to fill with every game character imaginable, including paper Mario, but I just remember him blowing around the station with each vent that he passed. Your father came into the halls just as I exited my game's wires and invited me over to his kingdom for a nightcap of sorts."_

 _The young king came out into the halls and upon spotting Vladimir, waved him over. The tron player immediately spotted the king and darted across the station to him, having avoided paper Mario's flight path through the station's hall. The two met up with a handshake and began making their way to the outlet of Sugar Rush._

 _"How was game day for you?" The young king, Dacian, question as he and Vladimir entered Sugar Rush's wires. "Get many quarter alerts today?"_

 _"You can say that." Young Vladimir answered as the two then entered the game itself, the threshold of the game conforming to their figures as they pushed forward. "I know your game got lots of quarters today. That happens every day!"_

 _Shaking his head in agreement at what Vladimir stated, the king's happy demeanor almost immediately slipped into that of a sorrowful expression as the two continued towards the castle. Vladimir noticed and couldn't help but question the king about his change in expressions._

 _"Your majesty, what seems to be the matter?" Vladimir questioned as the king turned to the tron player, his expression still unchanging._

 _"I will fill you in on that when we get to my office." Dacian replied, his voiced laced with the sadness to match his demeanor._

 _The two finally made their way to the castle and once they entered, they were greeted with the castle servants and guards bowing to the king as he passed with the tron player. Vladimir didn't know what to make of it, but knowing that his best friend was of royal descent, he knew that happened often and blew it off._

 _As the two continued making their way down the hall, inching towards the throne room/the king's office, the two were met by the queen herself, Veronica Von Schweetz, as she approached them from the left hall._

 **End of Flashback**

"And that's when I met the most beautiful woman on the face of the arcade." Vladimir continued as he and Vanellope walked up to a building and stopped on the doormat.

Leaning forward, the scanner next to the door scanned Vladimir's retina. A confirmation chime sounded as the door slid open with a soft whir.

"Ladies first." Vladimir permitted as he bowed to the royal while gesturing for her to enter.

Vanellope entered the building and Vladimir followed behind her, the door securely closing behind them. Once they were inside, Vanellope looked to her left and noticed that two tron players were engaged in a disc battle. Both players looked as if the disc battle had been a brutal one until that point in time, as indicated by the first player's struggle to remain on his feet. The first player's suit was horribly shredded at the torso, shoulders, arms, and the legs while the second player's suit was shredded horribly at the torso, indicating that he did not take as much damage as his opponent. Gripping his disc in his right hand, the second player swiftly tossed the disc towards his opponent. The light disc made contact with the first player's torso and sliced him in half, his data breaking down into tiny light pixels! The second player's disc then returned to his hand.

Vanellope flinched at the sight of the disappearing pixels of the dead player.

"I could have sworn time stopped around us the moment I laid eyes on your mother." Vladimir continued as the two continued forward. "Dare I say I haven't seen anyone as beautiful and stunning as she. Long raven hair and those gorgeous hazel orbs that bore into my soul with each stare she gave me. I even remember her wearing a long flowing layered pink gown with the perfect matching accessories that further enhanced her look. Your father was one lucky man."

"Again I say, gross." Vanellope muttered as the two continued further into the building.

 **Flashback**

 _Both men stopped in their tracks at the approach of the queen, Vladimir looking entranced by the woman's appearance. Veronica looked as if she were distressed as she ran into her husband's arms._

 _"Dacian, I just received some bad news!" Veronica voiced as she looked into her husband's brown eyes with tears swelled in her hazel eyes. "We may be moving to another arcade! We just got settled into this arcade and we might be moving to another?! How can they do that to us?! I want Vanellope to be born here in the Disneyland Game Station! There's no telling what this other arcade might be like! This is our home, the only place I feel comfortable and where I want our little princess to grow up!"_

 _"Just seeing your mother in distress like that broke my heart as I'm sure it did the same for your father."_ Vladimir expressed with a light sigh _. "I won't say that I weren't a bit jealous at seeing your father comfort your mother as I wished it were my arms she were laid in for comfort."_

 _"Ok, can you get to the part that included your vengeance against my dad?"_ Vanellope also interrupted the narration _. "Talking about your crush on my mother is seriously making my stomach turn!"_

 _"If I must."_ Vladimir sighed as the two made their way up a set of stairs.

" _Tell me Dacian that can't be true." Vladimir voiced, his voice becoming laced with worry. "Is that what you wanted to tell me back in your office? That your game was being moved to another station?"_

 _The king turned from his saddened wife and to Vladimir._

 _"I'm afraid so." The king voiced as he turned from Vladimir's vision and back to Veronica's tear soaked vision. "But it is just a rumor that we could be moving to another arcade, nothing is set in stone yet."_

 _"But what if it turns out to be true?" Veronica stressed. "What if we do move to another station? I don't want to leave this station! This is our home and the only place I want to call home! I want Vanellope to know that this is her home as well, as her coding is almost complete in the code room. Her code box is so small, but yet so strong already."_

 _The king and queen then focused their attention to the queen's lower abdomen as the king gently placed his right hand on her lower stomach, lightly touching it. Veronica laid her hands gently atop his hand in a loving manner._

 _"Our Vanellope is almost here." Veronica softly voiced as she laid her head on her husband's shoulder. "Dacian, our child is almost here. I can't imagine calling any other station home."_

 _The king wrapped his left arm tightly around his wife as the two continued to gently touch her lower belly. Vladimir stood in silence as he watched the scene before him._

 **End of Flashback**

"While it were just a rumor then, that rumor turned out to be true and it was confirmed that Sugar Rush were to be moved that afternoon to this very station, leaving my game behind at the Disneyland Game Station." Vladimir continued to tell the story. "While the queen was in distress about it, I did everything I could to keep my best friend in the station, but something tragic happened in the form a Tron player rebellion. After learning about my apparent decision to join the ranks of your marvelous game, Garry decided to create a mutiny within Tron. That ultimately destroyed my relationship with your father thanks to him thinking I led the attack on his kingdom."

"Garry? You mean shaggy white haired, rose colored eyes, sneaky Garry?" Vanellope questioned. "The same Garry that tried to take over my game after Turbo was defeated by Ralph? He was a Tron player?"

"The very same." Vladimir replied with a nod. "I did learn recently he wound up in Sugar Rush, a year after Ralph the wrecker destroyed Turbo in an apparent explosion. Turbo was one foolish lad to think he would get away with trying to take over a game as grand as that. I have to give it to him though. He pulled out all the stops to achieve that goal, despite how short lived it was. I also learned that Garry had an unfortunate encounter with a cybug after Turbo's defeat that turned him into one."

"Turbo achieved that goal for fifteen years while making my life a living hell in my own game." Vanellope mumbled as the two passed a room to their right with three Tron players on light bikes whizzing past the window, the room looking as if it were enclosed in its on block of space.

As the three whizzed by in an apparent formation, one of the player's bikes lost control, slung the player from the bike's seat, and skidded towards the window. The bike collided with the window and exploded on contact. Despite how far the royal and the player had walked from that area, the sound of the explosion caught the girl's ears and made her flinch. Having heard the explosion himself, Vladimir didn't flinch in the slightest. The player that was slung from the bike was rammed into by one of the two remaining players, being killed instantly.

"Garry led the mutiny and pinned the entire rebellion on me, which tore Dacian and I's friendship apart as he honestly believed I would outwardly attack his kingdom." Vladimir voiced as he opened his right hand, his palm facing the ceiling. The king's data block then appeared in his palm in a flash. Noticing the flash from her right peripheral vision, Vanellope turned and noticed the block of her father's data in the palm of Vladimir's hand, a gasp escaping her lips.

"He should have known that I had no intention of attacking his kingdom, especially after I agreed to join the ranks of the Sugar Rush's guards." Vladimir continued, his hand closing tightly around the data block. "But I guess I could understand his frustration and painstaking hurt considering I did advance on your mother in her vulnerable state. I asked for her to join my game after your father turned his back on me, not thinking about the state she was in. Looking back, I wish I could take it all back."

"Ok, that explains the trying to steal my mother from him part and while coding me at that!" Vanellope continued, her bubbling temper began surfacing. "Anything else?!"

The royal and the player walked into an open elevator, the door closing tightly behind them. Without touching a single button, the elevator began escalating upward. Within a short time, the elevator stopped at a top floor and the door slid open with a soft whir. As the princess-president and the player stepped off the elevator, they were immediately met with a troop of soldiers that were lined up on both side of the walkway, identical to what Vanellope was faced with when she first stepped foot into the game.

"There is." Vladimir continued as the two stepped off of the elevator and with Vladimir stopping in his tracks, Vanellope did as well. "When your father's game got moved to this station, the hurt burning within my being developed into rage, seething rage. He didn't try to hear a word I spoke when trying to clear my name from the rebellion. It was all Garry! He did that to the Candy Kingdom! It was his idea to storm the castle and slay half the guardsman! I just wanted to protect you and your mother from the harm, but I was too late. She vanished along with Garry into Sugar Rush before it was unplugged and moved here to Litwak's. I can't tell you how angry I was at your father, but was delighted to hear of his demise at the hands of Turbo and Garry after my game cabinet was moved here a short time after. Truth be told, if they hadn't done it, I would have! That would have taught him one heck of a lesson of paying closer attention to detail!"

Just hearing what Vladimir voiced caused the royal's code to appear at different areas of her body, indicating her displeasure at Vladimir's statement about the king.

"You take that back!" Vanellope snapped. "My father was more of a ruler than you'll ever be over this digital _prison_ you call a game! What is this game even about anyway?!"

A smirk appeared on Vladimir's face as he walked in front of Vanellope, him standing directly in front of her and catching sights with the royal.

"You couldn't have asked a better question my dear." Vladimir voiced as two guards, one from each side of the elevator's walkway, harshly grabbed Vanellope's arms. "Because you're about to find out. If you want your father's data block from this game, you're going to have to battle for it!"

"No way!" Vanellope barked as she tried to tug her arms from the guards' tight grip. "Your fight with my father was between the two of you! I'm not a part of it!"

"You are Dacian's direct descent therefore if you want this block, you'll have to survive three rounds of the disc battle!" Vladimir nonchalantly voiced as he stepped back. "Let's just hope you survive, proving that you are far stronger than your father was. If you win, you'll win this prize, but if you lose, your data becomes a permanent fixture in my lovely domain."

Vanellope once again tried to pull her arms out of the grip of the guards, but they're grip tightened the more she struggled.

"Take her to prepare for the games!" Vladimir demanded. "And if you by chance survive, tell your little friend, Gloyd, hello for me! He knows the name Vladimir very well!"

As the guards began dragging Vanellope away, a blue eyed white haired tron player wearing the very same black spandex except with neon yellow stripes placed his helmet over his head and hastingly ran in the opposite direction of Vladimir.

* * *

"I'm starting to see what the candy legacy has in store for me!" Vanellope hissed as she stretched her legs to ensure that her Tron suit allowed for flexibility, despite how tight the spandex appeared to an outside observer. "Some guy hates my dad, tries to steal my mom, and now I _have_ to clean up the mess! Gee, I can't _wait_ to become queen so I can inherit _more_ problems!"

The guards that drug the royal to the dark room to get ready left the teen in the hands of several players that ensured she was properly dressed like the rest of the members in the game, particularly preparing her for the three round disc battle. Just like the rest of the players in Tron, Vanellope's suit was spandex black, but the stripes that ran along the arms, legs, feet, hands, and sides were neon strawberry pink. Even the stripes in her helmet were neon strawberry pink.

With her fully dressed, the royal's hair was what was left to be done to ensure it did not distract her during the battles. An attendant that was assigned to her for that very task was working on Vanellope's hair, beginning to style the raven strands into a bun as instructed. The platinum blonde haired blue eyed woman would brush Vanellope's hair a bit harshly in an attempt to get the hair pulled into a straight ponytail, often hearing the teen hiss or bark out of annoyance.

The woman ran the brush through the princess-president's hair once more and slightly yanked on her hair while tying a hair band on her hair, which made Vanellope flinch once more.

"Hey! Would you be careful?! That's attached to my scalp you know!" Vanellope barked to the young platinum blonde attendant, which did not respond to the royal's demand. The woman, instead, wrapped the straight ponytail around the hair tie and styled it into a bun. Stepping back, the woman observed Vanellope's complete look.

"You're ready." The young woman announced in a monotone voice as Vanellope turned to her, the royal's hazel eyes catching with the woman's dead panned ocean blue vision. "Once you receive your identity disc, you will be sent to the disc dome to participate in the disc battles. That identity disk that you receive will identify you in the world of Tron so you will want to make sure you keep that with you at all times. If you lose that disc, your identity will be lost and trouble will quickly find you. However, I offer you the very best in winning the disc battles. Keep your eyes on your opponent at all times and don't show any fear."

The woman then broke her vision away from Vanellope's and whirled around to the door behind her as she began making her way to it, her blonde ponytail swaying behind her.

"Is that how I win the disc battles?" Vanellope questioned to the woman while doing her best to hide what fear was beginning to surface. "Any other advice before I go out there and potentially get slaughtered?"

The woman opened and stepped through the door, never answering Vanellope's question. The door closed behind her as the lingering clicking sound of the closed door made Vanellope's heart leap into her throat.

"Ok, great talk!" Vanellope shouted to the woman, despite her no longer being within earshot. "Thanks for wishing me luck!"

Releasing a sigh, Vanellope turned from the door and to her helmet on the small stool next to her.

"I'm taking one for the team alright." Vanellope quietly voiced to herself as she grabbed her helmet and stared at her reflection in the visor. "A BIG one!"

Turning the helmet around so she could place it on her head, the royal was moments from doing so when she was suddenly pushed forward followed by a clicking sound.

"There, now you are ready to go show them what for!" A husky but happy voice spoke to the teen.

"What the user?!" Vanellope began, but whipping around to the white haired blue eyed player behind her quickly dropped the royal's argument. She gave the player a once over glance as she stepped back. "Who the heck are you?!"

"My name is Jimmy and now that you have your identity disc, you are officially a tron player." The player, Jimmy, expressed to the teen as his sunny expression quickly dropped to a serious tone. "If you want to survive the disc battles and win your father's data block, you will follow my every word without question."

 _ **Review Please!**_


	5. Secrets of the Twin Codes!

Chapter 5: Secrets Of The Twin Codes!

'With Ralph in Sugar Rush and Vanellope in Tron Legacy, both players have to race against the clock to return to their own games before either gets unplugged. The question is, will they make it before time runs out?'

 _Previously_

The woman then broke her vision away from Vanellope's and whirled around to the door behind her as she began making her way to it, her blonde ponytail swaying behind her.

"Is that how I win the disc battles?" Vanellope questioned to the woman while doing her best to hide what fear was beginning to surface. "Any other advice before I go out there and potentially get slaughtered?"

The woman opened and stepped through the door, never answering Vanellope's question. The door closed behind her as the lingering clicking sound of the closed door made Vanellope's heart leap into her throat.

"Ok, great talk!" Vanellope shouted to the woman, despite her no longer being within earshot. "Thanks for wishing me luck!"

Releasing a sigh, Vanellope turned from the door and to her helmet on the small stool next to her.

"I'm taking one for the team alright." Vanellope quietly voiced to herself as she grabbed her helmet and stared at her reflection in the visor. "A BIG one!"

Turning the helmet around so she could place it on her head, the royal was moments from doing so when she was suddenly pushed forward followed by a clicking sound.

"There, now you are ready to go show them what for!" A husky but happy voice spoke to the teen.

"What the user?!" Vanellope began, but whipping around to the white haired blue eyed player behind her quickly dropped the royal's argument. She gave the player a once over glance as she stepped back. "Who the heck are you?!"

"My name is Jimmy and now that you have your identity disc, you are officially a tron player." The player, Jimmy, expressed to the teen as his sunny expression quickly dropped to a serious tone. "If you want to survive the disc battles and win your father's data block, you will follow my every word without question."

 _Currently_

 **Candy Kingdom (Main Hallway)**

"So I was thinking of going with more a mint flavored cake because Vanellope loves any and everything minty." Adorabeezle continued as she and Minty walked down the hall that lead to the halls leading to the kitchen, conference, and throne rooms. "But I also know that she likes strawberry swirl so this will be a tough choice to make for her birthday cake."

"Why not try and mix them?" Minty suggested with a giggle that made Adorabeezle add in. "Her two favorite flavors coming together for her birthday and coronation to queen, she will love it!"

"I sure hope so." Adorabeezle sighed with worry as she looked away from Minty and to the tiles below while both girls continued to make their way up the hallway. "Because Candlehead and Taffyta will be helping me bake the cake and I hope they like the idea."

"I didn't think about Taffyta." Minty mumbled as Adorabeezle turned back to her. "Maybe you can mix in the mint with the strawberry swirl when Taffyta isn't looking. That way Vanellope can have both her favorite flavors for her cake. Taffyta doesn't have to be in charge of _everything_ we do here! User knows she's been _so busy_ doing Vanellope's job as ruler and is doing a lousy job at it might I add."

Before the winter themed racer could reply to the mint themed racer, a moderately violent tremor suddenly struck that shook the walls of the castle, knocking loose a few ceiling tiles in the hall the girls were in. Leaping out of the way before the debris could hit them, the two went around the debris and continued walking through the hall, making sure to keep a close eye out for any falling debris that might fall around or on them.

"Vanellope wasn't lying when she said Garry really did a number on this game!" Minty exclaimed as the two reached the end of the hall and stopped at the entrance of the kitchen hall. "His virus code had to be strong to unhinge a game as powerful as this."

"You would know, you were turned into a cybug when he brought those monsters back in the game." Adorabeezle retorted with a sly smile. "Garry gave you his code and then you attacked me when Gloyd and I were trying to clear the grid of the other bugs! Sorry about freezing your neck and face like that. I had to defend us somehow."

"Ok, that night I got eaten by one of those things, I had no idea it was even there!" Minty retorted with a small laugh in response to Adorabeezle playful teasing. "I was looking for my racing token that slipped through my fingers after the last race and I had no idea what was going on when I were a monster. All I was programmed to do was kill and eat just like the rest of the cybugs were. Sorry about that beezy."

"You know, come to think of it, you and Garry _would_ have made a cute couple." Adorabeezle commented as her smile widened to a toothy smile. "You know, if it weren't for him being evil and wanting to "conquer Sugar Rush" thing."

"There was no _way_ I would have _ever_ gone out with someone like him!" Minty retorted with a smile of her own. "Right now, Swizzle and I are getting a bit serious so I'm excited to see where this goes. Garry could never measure up to him, even if he were a smooth talker."

"Oh you mean like Swizzle?" Adorabeezle cracked. "I've seen ice that was _way_ smoother than he is."

Both girls burst into hard laughter at Adorabeezle's joke, but the laughter soon died down.

"But seriously, Swizzle is sweet." Minty continued as she wiped her eyes of the tears accumulated from laughter. "I know how much of a playboy he use to be, but now, he's not like that. He's a real gentleman. He even walks me up to my door after our dates and holds the doors open for me. He's really changed."

"Are you actually going to let him come in after any of your _dates_?" Adorabeezle interrogated slyly.

"Maybe the next one." Minty replied with a small nod as she turned her vision away from Adorableezle in a playful manner before turning it back. "If everything works out."

"If you say so Minty." Adorabeelze stated with a nod as she looked to her watch for the time. "Speaking of swizzle, I think I will add mint in with the strawberry swirl. I don't think Taffyta will even notice since she has her hands _so full_ with running this game already."

"Yea, right into the ground." Minty stated with an eye roll that was shared in by Adorabeezle. "Even Vanellope isn't that bossy!"

"If Taffyta were ever ruler of this game, I'd look to get my code transferred to another game grid." Adorabeezle expressed. "Anything would be better than taking orders from her!"

"Thank user she's not the ruler." Minty replied. "But I will come around and check the status of her cake a bit later. Remember, when Taffyta isn't looking and even better if she's not there at all."

"Will do." Adorabeezle agreed as she broke away from Minty and began traveling down the hall leading to the kitchen. "See ya later."

Waving her friend off, Minty entered the hall leading to the throne room. Looking to the ceiling for any loose tiles that may try to come down on her, distant footsteps in the same hall as her drew her attention to the front of her. Picking up speed in her steps, Minty rounded the corner and took notice of what caught her attention in the first place, her eyes growing wide at the sight.

From where she stood, Gloyd exited the small area behind Vanellope's throne and shoved his hands into his pants pockets, walking casually away from the area as if he had unrestricted access or somehow gained it by just knowing the ruler herself. The sly look on his face as he strolled away from her throne made Minty's eyebrows furrow with suspicion.

"What was he doing in the code room?" Minty quietly questioned to herself as she kept her eyes trained to Gloyd while stepping back behind the wall so she wasn't seen. "We don't have access to that room without Vanellope's permission!"

Minty kept her eyes on him, watching him closely, but his vision catching with hers broke her strict attention on the pumpkin themed racer. Gloyd flashed her a sweet smile as he steadily approached her. Minty's stern stare, however, didn't waver under Gloyd's change in expressions.

"Hey Mints." Gloyd sweetly expressed as he casually walked passed the girl.

Flashing him a semi smile, Minty watched him continue down the hall as a feeling of confusion and suspicion hit her like a ton of bricks. The racer's mint colored code suddenly appeared on her skin and sent a hard chill rocketing up the girl's spine! Having felt that sudden chill, she shook her head to shake off the chill that hit her suddenly.

"Something about this isn't right." Minty deduced as she kept her eyes on Gloyd, the boy walking further and further out of sight. "Gloyd wasn't supposed to be in the code vault, none of us are allowed in there. At least not without permission."

Despite the distance the boy was from her, what the girl saw next made her suspicion grow that much more. On the back of the boy's racing jacket, a neon white circle suddenly appeared, the circle getting visibly brighter with each passing second. Narrowing her vision so she could get a better look at the back of his jacket, the insignia on the back of Gloyd's jacket suddenly disappeared. Like the rush of an icy wind from a brutal winter storm, a memory of where she once saw that symbol suddenly flashed through her mind, making the racer's voice hitch in her throat.

"Tron!" Minty stammered as she watched Gloyd walk out of sight. "But why would Gloyd have Tron's insignia on his racing jacket? He's from Sugar Rush!"

"I knew something was off about Gloyd the moment he confronted me about Vanellope." Rancis's deep teen voice spoke from the left of Minty, scaring the girl to the point of her code appearing on her neck and cheeks. Turning to her left, she noticed Rancis exiting the hall that lead to the conference room. "But I didn't think he would be on Tron's side of all the games in the arcade."

"What were you doing in the conference room?" Minty questioned as she pointed to the hall Rancis had just exit, still startled from the boy's appearance.

"I was looking for Taffyta." Rancis voiced as his vision hooked into Minty's. "There is a major repair job that needs to be made on the Castle's west wing. Apparently the tremor that shut down the tracks and the jumbotron on the west side of the game, damaged the west side of the castle too. If Vanellope doesn't get back here soon, she won't have a home to return to."

"Taffyta knows about the damage to the tracks, among other things." Minty replied. "But she's still out there directing everyone to race. Another job of Vanellope's that she's _running_ into the ground."

"I don't think holding the races for the day is a good idea considering what else might happen when another tremor hits." Rancis expressed. "That might make things worse than they already are."

"What else can we do?" Minty politely argued with the racer. "Despite the orange tag that we already got, we have to keep moving. We can't just stop operations now or we'll be unplugged for sure."

"Well the tracks that are shut down are the main tracks that need to be ran." Rancis replied. "Where are we supposed to go after running Gumball Gorge? CakeWay is directly after that track! Plus the jumbotron that keeps tracks of our scores and places in the races is down. I don't know about anyone else's karts, but mine can't stop on a dime like that!"

"If only we could run on the Royal Raceway track." Minty wondered. "But a player would have to unlock that for even us to gain access to it. Now that we have the orange tag, that surely won't happen!"

"Well since Taffyta wants us to keep up operations, make sure you inform her about the west wing of the castle while I see what our good friend _Gloyd_ is up to." Rancis expressed.

"He was in the code vault when I saw Adorabeezle off to the kitchen." Minty informed him. "Taffyta couldn't have given him permission because when we were on the tracks before Vanellope left, she came in here behind her and Gloyd was left on the tracks with the rest of us."

"Then he's up to something and I'm going to find out what that is before he takes this game down." Rancis stated as he looked down the hall leading to the exit/entrance of the castle.

"Alright, let me know of anything you find out." Minty requested. "I'm going to let Taffyta know about the castle's damage."

"And whatever you do, don't let her know about what you discovered." Rancis replied as he took off down the hall. "I'll handle this myself!"

 **Tron Legacy**

 _"He'll be useful."_

 _"But why him of all people?"_

 _Because she would never suspect him of all the racers."_

Groans and whines of grogginess were heard while tired eyes opened and began trying to focus in the pitch black they were surrounded in.

" _Wouldn't the princess notice him missing or his strange behavior and become suspicious?"_

 _"She has her hands full already. Garry's virus code is still wrecking havoc on the memory of that game and if I have anything to do with it, it'll wreck it right into the ground on the day and time I have it set on. I hope the little princess enjoys the present I have implanted in the game's memory!"_

 _"She's also becoming queen on that day."_

 _"Not if I have anything to do with it!"_

The tired eyesfully openedas the brown haired teen sat up, banging his head against the wall that his back was placed against. Grabbing his scalp, he groaned in pain.

"As if something else has to give me a headache today!" Gloyd groaned as he slowly got to his feet. "I just need to get the race car in my head to stop running the same track so I can think!"

Leaning against the wall, the boy closed his eyes as a series of sudden memories flashed back to him. A party at the castle, a short celebration that took place after Garry's defeat and Vanellope's time of rest. The tremors the game was experiencing had ceased for the time which brought relief to everyone on the grid. After leaving the party, the brown haired boy remembered heading back to his home in the village, but never made it to his front door.

The next memory was of an evil smile of a mirror image staring him in the face as he faded in and out of consciousness with a view from the ground. A guy with jet black hair and a light complexion and someone of similar height and complexion that stood next to him were the last images the boy saw before fading completely out of consciousness.

 _"He's considered the trickster of Sugar Rush."_

 _"That's even better! I also happen to know that he has a rival for the heart of the princess. I can certainly work with that."_

"Taffyta needs to tighten up on her baking skills because my thoughts are more jumbled than usual." Gloyd expressed as he leaned off the wall. "Either that or Swizzle spiked the punch bowl when no one was looking!"

 _"They will never see it coming!"_

The memories that recently flashed through the boy's mind played back once more, this time including the insignia that only Tron players wear on their suits. Gloyd suddenly gasped as his voice got hitched in his throat.

At the sudden sound of his gasping, a light in front of the teen suddenly came on that shed some light on his situation. Adjusting his eyes to the small amount of light in the area, Gloyd looked across from him and noticed a green dinosaur with a red saddle on its back was laid unconscious in what looked to be the floor of a jail cell. More light streamed into the room that lit up the entire area, displaying many more cells and behind them other characters from other games, ranging from Luigi, Princess Daisy, and even Chun Li from Street Fighter. Each character looking more miserable than the next.

"Either Swizzle spiked the punch at the party or I'm having one bad dream!" Gloyd voiced a bit louder. "Where in the living arcade am I?!"

The many questions that began streaming through his mind as to where he could possibly be were brought to a halt when the sound of a door opening in the distance was heard.

"But Vladimir, she has the Candy Code and could easily win the disc battles." The voice, accompanied by heavy footsteps walking through the door, spoke. "If you couldn't successfully bring down her father's kingdom, what makes you think you'll be able to bring her down here?"

"I will see to it that the _little_ gift passed down to her will be her biggest disadvantage that's how." Vladimir's voice replied to his assistant as the two began walking through the room, Vladimir eyeing each cell as he passed them. The miserable look on each character's face brought a smile to his own. "Vanellope is in my domain now, therefore she must follow _my_ rules. After all, if I were able to bring down even the most prominent game such as Mario, then Sugar Rush should be an easy steal without the main figure head present. If she wants that block of her father's data, she will abide by my rules to get it! Besides she's outside of her game, therefore regeneration will be _impossible_!"

Gloyd squatted down in his cell as he continued listening to Vladimir and his assistant's conversation.

"Vanellope is here?" Gloyd mentally questioned to himself.

"Again, I honestly think they will know something is a miss." The assistant voiced as he and Vladimir halted in the middle of the room. "How much longer do you expect that Gloyd to keep up appearances in the game?"

"If you did as I asked and _made_ him act in the manner of the real Gloyd, then he should do a pretty _good_ job!" Vladimir's voice boomed, making several of the characters flinch.

"Another me in Sugar Rush?" Gloyd whispered to himself as he continued to eavesdrop.

"But sir, I really think-" The assistant continued, but was cut off by Vladimir speaking up.

"Listen to me and listen to me good!" Vladimir boomed once more as he pointed his right index finger in his assistance's face. "If I can replace that _reject_ Garry with ease, then I can _certainly_ do the same for _you_! You will continue to do what I ask when I tell you! I'm not paying you to think, but to take orders and _that is it_! Do we have an understanding?!"

Seeing the burning anger in his boss's ocean blue eyes, the assistant grew quiet instantly.

"Yes sir." The assistant silently agreed.

"Good." Vladimir calmly expressed as he straightened himself up. "I will let this ugly episode go on the count that you did an excellent job of pinning the rebellion against Sugar Rush on Garry. Personally, I never liked him which made him all the more expendable. However, Vanellope bought the entire tale and that's all that mattered."

"But didn't you send him to Sugar Rush to dethrone Vanellope after Turbo was defeated?" The assistant cautiously questioned.

"That I did, but as usual, he failed and I were left picking up the pieces!" Vladimir voiced with a sigh as he and his assistant began walking through the room once more. "But he at least did one thing right which was weaken the game from the inside and with our little experiment running around in it, taking over that system will be a piece of cake. Quite frankly, I would have done it myself once that _old fool_ actually integrated my avatar into the game had everything worked out. After I was in, I would have made sure he was out, but using Garry to do my bidding was even better!"

Closing his eyes, Gloyd felt his temper bubbling to the surface pretty quickly, but for the sake of not giving himself away, he quickly simmered it down. Despite the snake Garry was, even he had to admit he didn't deserve that kind of treatment!

"Now that one of our experiments is successfully in place, see to it that these others are handled as well." Vladimir instructed to his assistant as he picked up his step through the room. "I have a disc battle to manipulate. Once your task is done here, meet me on the bridge. I want an audience when I have the little _princess_ begging for mercy at my feet. I can't wait until my game is the only one left standing!"

The assistant nodded as Vladimir continued his trek through the room, passing up Gloyd's cell as well. The assistant turned and left out of the door the two entered through while Vladimir exited through the door opposite of the way he and his assistant came in. Once the area was empty of both conspirators, Gloyd opened his eyes and got back to his feet.

"When Garry invaded Sugar Rush using cybugs, that was all Vladimir's idea and he lured Vanellope here to delete her code!" Gloyd concluded. "Now he has another me running around in the game doing user knows what and plans to overthrow the entire arcade with clones of other characters as well! It's bad enough Rancis hates me for being a better racer than him and this will give him one more reason to curse my code! I have to get out of here and warn Vanellope before she gets herself killed in this game!"

Frantically looking around his cell for any opening or loose tile that may present itself, the pumpkin themed racer didn't immediately spot anything of use to him, but noticing a robot guard walking into the room brought a smirk to his face.

"Bingo!" Gloyd expressed with a smirk. "You're my ticket out of here!"

 **Disc Battle Bridge**

Having exited from the holding cell area, Vladimir approached the bridge and took a seat on the announcer's stand so he could mediate the disc battles, a devious smirk appearing on his face as he peered down into the battle dome below him. The block of King Dacian's code sat in an orb on the right arm chair, serving as the prize if Vanellope survived all three rounds of the disc battle.

The dome lit up with recess lighting as a sliding door on the side of the dome Vladimir was perched above opened, a buffed player with his identity disk tightly gripped in his right hand walking onto the scene. The door quickly closed, sealing the player inside the dome. On the opposing side of the first player, a sliding door opened as Vanellope walked into the dome with her identity disc attached to her back. The door slid closed behind her as she began assessing her surroundings. She then looked above the opposing player and noticed Vladimir peering right into the dome in her direction, a domineering smirk present on his face.

The royal narrowed her eyes in anger at the sight of him and swiftly grabbed her identity disc from her back, gripping it tightly in her right hand. Her eyes then slid to the player in front of her as he positioned himself into a battle stance.

Taking his eyes off the royal, Vladimir stood and raised his arms into the air, an attention gathering motion as all eyes turned to him.

"Players of Tron!" Vladimir began, his powerful voice echoed throughout the silent stadium. "Today, we will witness one of the greatest Tron games of all times! But this game isn't just your ordinary game you would normally watch, no! Today, I present to you a disc battle of epic proportions with a twist!"

A bright spotlight then landed on Vanellope, the girl shielding her eyes from the light with her right arm as Vladimir continued.

"Joining us today is the lovely Princess Vanellope Von Schweetz!" Vladimir continued as he lowered his arms to his side and gazed into the dome once more, to Vanellope. "The daughter of the great King Dacian Von Schweetz! She comes to us today from the legendary game of Sugar Rush! Very sweet I know, but this royal being is everything but your average peanut brittle gal, far from it! She happens to be one tough jawbreaker with one extraordinary Candy legacy!"

"You got that right." Vanellope mused as the corner of her mouth curled into a smile. "I can't wait to show you just _how_ extraordinary it really is!"

"Today, she will be featured in three disc battles against three of our very own players, each one tougher than the first!" Vladimir explained as he turned back to the crowd. "She has something precious she is fighting for so I want each of you to help me wish her the best of luck!"

The crowd began to loudly boo the royal as Vladimir caught gazes with the girl.

"Because she is _certainly_ going to need it." Vladimir darkly mumbled with a condescending smirk.

The antagonist turned back to the crowd and raised one hand in the air, his gaming code rushing up his arm and to his hand, a single point of light from his code appearing on the tips of his fingers. The points of light then combined to form a single beam that shot into the air above the crowd, exploding into an array of colors much like fourth of July fireworks. A life bar for both Vanellope and the first player appeared on their sides of the dome, each showing that both players have a full life.

"Let the games begin!" Vladimir announced as he brought his hand down to his side and took a seat back on the stand. The official buzzer for the start of the games sounded!

Glancing ahead to her opponent, Vanellope didn't get a chance to blink before she noticed his disc flying right at her at lighting speed. Smirking at what she could describe as a frisbee heading towards her, the royal began summoning her glitching ability to quickly dodge the disc that has her in its line of sight.

"Get ready to have circles ran around you once I _really_ get in motion buddy!" Vanellope muttered darkly to herself as small patches of her coding appeared on different areas her body.

Continuing to summon her ability, the areas of the royal's body where her coding appeared suddenly disappeared! The ability she always had to become practically invincible was now absent, her look and feeling of confidence quickly dropping at the terrifying revelation!

With no time to react, let alone protest, the opponent's disc slammed right into Vanellope's left shoulder, slicing right through her suit in slow motion, and causing damage to her lifeline within the game! Fifty percent of her life bar diminished from that hit!

Dropping her disc, the royal quickly grabbed her shoulder and fell to her knees. The opponent's disc returned to his hand like a boomerang.

"My glitch." Vanellope hissed through the pain she felt from the disc slicing into her shoulder. "Vladimir disabled it!"

Looking above her opponent, Vanellope noticed Vladimir's ocean blue vision was locked on her, a knowing smirk glued to his face.

"You won't be wearing that smirk for long!" Vanellope voiced with determination as she grabbed her disc with her free hand. "That I guarantee that!"

"Is this a disc battle or are you begging for mercy already?!" The royal's opponent barked as he took a step towards her, catching her attention. "If Vladimir hadn't stated it, I wouldn't _believe_ for a second that you were of royal descent! More like a waste of a code to me!"

Pushing herself off of the ground using her free hand, despite tightly clutching her disc, the princess-president got to her feet while narrowing her eyes at her opponent.

"If you are really carry the legendary code of Sugar Rush as Vladimir claimed, then show me what you're made of!" The player fiercely offered. "Or is _daddy's_ little princess too _precious_ for this?! You just lost fifty percent of your life! If I were you, I would quit while you're ahead! You're better off going back to your game and bossing your _little_ servants around just like _daddy_ taught you!"

Hearing the taunting remarks the player was feeding to Vanellope, Vladimir smirked.

Taking in the disparaging remark the player stated about her father, Vanellope removed her right hand from her left shoulder and straightened her spine, ignoring the pain she was in. If she didn't let Garry get away with bad mouthing her father, she wasn't going to let anyone get away with it! Not even a _tron_ player!

Bringing her disc into view, Vanellope positioned herself in preparation to toss her disc towards her opponent and end his existence! While she couldn't see his face through his dark visor, she got the image in her mind of him mocking her behind his visor, an image that made her code fizzle to the surface of her skin!

"Just remember one thing _your highness,_ we Tron playersfight for user! Our creators!" The opponent continued. "They created us to stand above the rest of the meaningless games in this arcade and we will crush who we need to in order get to the top! We are the toughest players on this planet!"

"Then it appears that user felt the same way when they created yours truly!" Vanellope voiced with a sly smirk.

Swiftly extending her left arm, Vanellope tossed her disc towards her opponent with his eyes locking onto the its trajectory. Smirking, the player skillfully dodged the incoming disc while keeping his vision on Vanellope. Frowning that she missed her target, the look of surprise graced her face when the disc bounced off the wall of the dome and came back full circle. With the player in its trajectory, the disc, in slow motion, reached the player and sliced right through his torso! Holding her hand out, the disc gracefully returned to Vanellope!

Before he could detest to what just took place, his body suddenly broke down into tiny pixels of light with his life meter dropping to zero!

"I'd say user created one tough gamer!" Vanellope stated as she watched the pixels disappear into thin air within the dome. "Because without them, there would be no Vanellope Von Schweetz!"

The buzzer above the dome sounded, indicating that the first disc battle was completed! Unable to ignore the pain of her injury any longer, Vanellope fell back to her knees, grabbed her shoulder once more, and turned her vision towards Vladimir.

"If this is best you got, then expect the next two battles to end just as fast!" Vanellope expressed. "Nothing I've seen so far even _compares_ to the code I've got!"

With a smirk, Vladimir watched as the door opposite of Vanellope opened once more, but instead of a player entering the dome, two identity discs entered instead! Turning her vision to the door, Vanellope was suddenly knocked backwards as one disc roughly slammed into her visor, cracking it in the process and the other grazed her left arm! Rolling onto her right side and grabbing onto her helmet, Vanellope pulled her visor up and who she saw enter the dome made the royal's breath hitch in her throat as the discs returned to their rightful owner!

"Oh boy." Vanellope voiced as the player entered the disc dome.

* * *

 _ **My apologies that this is so late! July is a yearly busy month for me and I haven't caught my breath yet lol! With next month just two days away, things should slow down to a steady pace, especially when posting the next installment of Schweet Deal! The summary is up and the chapter has been started so it won't be long now! If nothing else,**_

 _ **Review Please!**_


	6. Secrets of the Candy Code!

Chapter 6: Secrets of The Candy Code!

'With one disc battle completed by a fluke move, Vanellope must complete the remaining two before she can obtain her father's data block. Question is, will she be able to achieve that by default?'

 **Chapter Inspiration: Burn The Book by Alan Silvestri (Back To The Future II Original Score)**

 _Previously_

Swiftly extending her left arm, Vanellope tossed her disc towards her opponent with his eyes locking onto its trajectory. Smirking, the player skillfully dodged the incoming disc while keeping his vision on Vanellope. Frowning that she missed her target, the look of surprise graced her face when the disc bounced off the wall of the dome and came back full circle. With the player in its trajectory, the disc, in slow motion, reached the player and sliced right through his torso! Holding her hand out, the disc gracefully returned to Vanellope!

Before he could detest to what just took place, his body suddenly broke down into tiny pixels of light with his life meter dropping to zero!

"I'd say user created one tough gamer!" Vanellope stated as she watched the pixels disappear into thin air within the dome. "Because without them, there would be no Vanellope Von Schweetz!"

The buzzer above the dome sounded, indicating that the first disc battle was completed! Unable to ignore the pain of her injury any longer, Vanellope fell back to her knees, grabbed her shoulder once more, and turned her vision towards Vladimir.

"If this is best you got, then expect the next two battles to end just as fast!" Vanellope expressed. "Nothing I've seen so far even _compares_ to the code I've got!"

With a smirk, Vladimir watched as the door opposite of Vanellope opened once more, but instead of a player entering the dome, two identity discs entered instead! Turning her vision to the door, Vanellope was suddenly knocked backwards as one disc roughly slammed into her visor, cracking it in the process and the other grazed her left arm! Rolling onto her right side and grabbing onto her helmet, Vanellope pulled her visor up and who she saw enter the dome made the royal's breath hitch in her throat as the discs returned to their rightful owner!

"Oh boy." Vanellope voiced as the player entered the disc dome.

 _Currently_

 **Sugar Rush (Castle Warehouse)**

Jet, Set, and Ralph urgently rushed to the castle warehouse where the karts were kept after game day was over, the twin turbos doing what they could to keep up with the nine foot six hundred and forty three pound giant that easily stomped three to four steps ahead of them. Along the trail to the warehouse, the three encountered residual debris that was either dug up by the tremors or were trailed from the surrounding environment, but ultimately making it to the warehouse was not an issue for the three.

Ralph was the first to approach the warehouse door as the twins brought up the rear. Being out of breath from running, Jet leaned on Set's shoulder so he could catch his breath.

"Why...did the warehouse have to be so far away?" Jet choked out between breaths as Set held up his brother while trying to catch his own breath. "It could be on the front of the castle and not way back here in the middle of well...this!"

"This was the location chosen Jet." Set calmly voiced to his brother. "I'm sure even Vanellope wishes the warehouse could be closer."

"You should care less about the location and more about getting your karts out of here!" Ralph stated as he gripped the bottom of the door and tried to pull it up, but found that he couldn't. Mustering up more strength, the giant tried once more to lift the door, but the door wouldn't budge. A vein popped out on the giant's neck from the strain he endured from trying to lift the jammed warehouse door.

Taking a step back, the giant eyed the door with the twins eyeing him to wonder what his next move was going to be.

"Stand back you two." Ralph commanded to the twins as he kept his eyes on the door in front of him. "This might get a little messy and I don't want either of you to have a game over because of what I'm about to do."

Without questioning the giant, Jet and Set stepped back four feet from Ralph while watching as he raised his fists into the air.

"I'll get this fixed for you Vanellope." Ralph voiced as if talking to the girl herself. "I promise."

Mustering as much strength as he could for the amount of wrecking he had to do, Ralph swung his fists into the heavy steel door, causing it to whine from the amount of sheer force he put into knocking it down. Set and Jet covered their faces from the debris that flew from the destroyed door, making sure that they did not endure anymore trauma from their new game. Having put enough force behind getting past the jammed barrier, the steel door that hid every kart in the game fell to the ground in front of the karts. Jet and Set looked forward to see a sight more devastating than the cracks the tremors made in the game's grid. Even Ralph couldn't believe the sight he was seeing before him.

The ceiling of the warehouse had a big gaping hole in it with the concrete of the ceiling scattered about on the hood and roof of just about every kart. The karts that Jet and Set programmed to the grid had damaged windshields and hoods as a large slab of concrete from the ceiling smashed onto their karts. Even Vanellope and Taffyta's kart sustained damaged from the ceiling caving down on top of them.

Seeing just what the tremors did to everyone karts, Ralph lowered his vision as he ran his right hand over his face.

"Vanellope is not going to like this." Ralph muttered as he turned his vision back to the sight in front of him. "Taffyta is _certainly_ not going to like this."

Jet ran in front of Ralph and eyed he and his brother's karts, by passing the damage the other karts sustained as a result of the tremors. Falling to his knees, Jet could feel tears prick at the corner of his eyes as he continued taking in the sight before him. Just seeing the condition both cars were in was enough to break the little turbo twin's heart.

"Our karts." Jet groaned as he threw his head back. "Our beautiful blueberry and cream, fast, ten thousand horse powered engined karts! Ruined! If Garry were here, I'd delete him right here, right now! This is all his fault! You hear me Garry?! I'd delete you myself if you were here!"

Set approached his brother as did Ralph to provide the broken turbo twin some comfort from his devastation.

"Don't worry Jet." Set spoke with comfort as he squatted down next to his brother while placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I'm sure once this is all over with, we can make new karts so we can compete in the races."

"Yea, it's not a total loss." Ralph added in. "Look at it this way. If you weren't happy with the way your kart was designed before, you can always make another with everything you ever wanted. So the kart's game over might be a good thing."

"I loved the kart I had, but look at it now." Jet voiced as he frantically gestured his hands towards his and his brother's karts. "We can't drive those now! They were perfect before that, that _thing_ happened!"

Before Set could reply to his brother, the area around them began shaking intensely, indicating that another tremor was occuring to continue breaking apart the already unhinged game. Jet and Set grabbed onto one another while Ralph provided the two shelter with his large arms draping over them like an umbrella.

"We should get out of here before we end up like these karts or worse!" Ralph stated loudly over the intense shaking of the warehouse.

Getting to their feet, Jet and Set began making a b-line for the entrance of the warehouse when another large chunk of the ceiling fell flat in front of them, stopping them in their tracks. Hearing a grunt from Ralph, Set turned around and noticed that Ralph had caught a piece of the ceiling that threatened to fall on top of him.

"Head for that door and don't stop until you see the backside of the castle!" Ralph demanded as he held onto the piece of ceiling.

Both twins got to their feet and ran out of the warehouse. Ralph was not too far behind them as he carried the chunk of ceiling above his head like an umbrella, using it as a shield for anything else that might have tried to come down on him while leaving the warehouse.

"That was a close one." Jet expressed as he watched the remainder of the ceiling fall down onto and around the karts. "Thanks for saving our codes back there Ralph. We owe you big."

"You guys might be coded for this game, but I'm not." Ralph commented as he tossed the piece of the ceiling he was holding onto to his left. "If anyone has to have a game over, I would prefer it be me so you're welcome."

"Taffyta is expecting us to be on the tracks soon." Set voiced as he looked back towards the wreck of a warehouse. "What are we going to tell her when she arrives and notices that we don't have our karts?"

Before either guy could answer the turbo twin, everyone's thoughts were interrupted by Taffyta's voice approaching them.

"Guys, what is taking so long?!" Taffyta questioned with impatience as she approached the three. "Did you get that door open yet? You told me about it almost ten mi-"

The strawberry themed racer's thought was interrupted by the sight of the warehouse, but particularly, the sight of her and Vanellope's crushed karts that sat at the very front of the kart warehouse.

"Answers your question?" Ralph mumbled to Set as the three kept their eyes on the quickly panicking Taffyta before them.

"Pink...Pink Lig...lighting.." Taffyta stammered, not believing the sight she is seeing before her. "No..."

Large chunks of the ceiling not only smashed in her windshield and dented the hood of her kart, but knocked chunks of her wheels off and completely took off the back end of the kart. In short, her kart was completely totaled!

Seeing the girl's reaction, Jet and Set slowly slinked backwards towards Ralph while not taking their eyes off of her. Taffyta's frame began to shake as she covered her mouth with her right hand, her normally large pupils shrinking to tiny dots at the sight of her destroyed kart.

"You two might want to get behind me." Ralph subtly warned the twins, his eyes also trained to the shocked racer. "She is going to blow any minute now and you do _not_ want to be in the area when she does!"

Jet and Set quickly ran behind the giant for safety from the possible destructive wrath the racer might unleash.

Taffyta's frame continued to shake as her eyes remained glued to what was left of her kart. Sound threatened to spew from her throat, but in her shocked state, nothing escaped from the racer. It was then that her eyes rolled back in her head and her body slumped to the ground back first. Jet, Set, and Ralph looked on and then gave each other confusing glances.

"Ok, I take that back." Ralph stated as his eyes landed back on the girl. "False alarm guys."

"The code room!" Jet suddenly voiced.

"What?" Set and Ralph questioned in unison to the twin as they turned to him.

"We can undo the damage by resetting the game in the code room!" Jet voiced with excitement. "It can fix everything else in the game right?"

"Jet, that is not a good idea right now, believe me." Ralph replied with a hand gesture. "And the only one who can reset the game from there is the ruler and she is in another castle at the moment."

"Our princess is another castle." Set chuckled.

"But we have to try it!" Jet voiced with urgency. "Plus Taffyta has access to the room. Why not have her do it?"

Without uttering a word, Ralph gestured to the unconscious racer before them.

"Plus her position is temporary Jet." Set calmly voiced to his anxious brother. "Vanellope only gave her so much access to the game while she was gone and I'm sure that includes the code vault. We are just going to have to think of another way to get our karts repaired."

"And I remember Vanellope specifically stating that there are certain things that can be reset in the code vault." Ralph explained. "Players, tracks, and anything critical to the grid can be reset from there. Everything else has to be recreated in the game. So trying to recreate your kart from there might not be a possibility, sad to say."

"Plus recreating a kart among what's going on now might not be a very good idea Jet." Set voiced. "Besides, it may just end up like the karts we have now."

"We have to at least try it!" Jet retorted. "You guys take care of Taffyta while I head to the code vault!"

Before Set and Ralph could further argue with the twin about what Ralph stated, Jet took off running towards the castle with an intent to reset the damage to their karts from the code vault.

"Jet!" Set growled, his tone laced with exasperation.

"Before this game suffers anymore damage, you go stop him before he reaches the code room and creates another disaster." Ralph stated. "I'll take care of Taffyta so she can get back to doing the job Vanellope gave her. The last thing the kid needs right now is anymore stress."

"Way ahead of you." Set replied. "I'll meet up with you back on the tracks. Don't be too surprised if I am dragging Jet back by the neck!"

"Gotcha." Ralph agreed as Set took off after his brother.

Turning his attention to the unconscious girl before him, Ralph slowly sauntered over to her, wondering just what else might happen before Vanellope could make it back to the sugar themed game.

 **Castle Entrance**

Having wandered away from the code vault, Gloyd continued to make his way towards the exit/entrance of the castle.

"Now that the link has been destroyed, it's time to move into the next phase of the plan." Gloyd darkly chuckled as he continued his trek, being two feet from the castle's front doors. "They will never know what hit them!"

"And just what would the next phase of that plan _be_?" A smooth husky voice spoke from behind the chocolate haired boy.

Stopping in his tracks, Gloyd whipped around and noticed Rancis standing behind him with his arms folded as he leaned against an end tabke in the hall, a suspicious look in the boy's ice blue eyes.

"I'm interested in what this plan of yours entails." Rancis voiced as he leaned off the table and took a step closer to the boy. "Considering you're part of the team here in Sugar Rush, what you know we all should know. Especially if it pertains to the current state of this game."

"No es asunto de Su Negocio! (It's none of your buisness!)" Gloyd angrily voiced in his native language as he took a step towards Rancis.

"Todo lo que tiene que ver con mi juego y mis amigos es un negocio! (Anything that has to do with my game and my friends is my business!)" Rancis replied back, Gloyd's eyes widening at the blonde's comprehension of his native tongue. "Fun fact about me, Spanish is my second language due to my half Cuban heritage. Learned it from my grandfather, something you knew about me from day one. Now out with it!"

"You wouldn't be able to comprehend it if I told you!" Gloyd barked as his code appeared brightly on his right arm, the bright streams of data rushing up his arm in avenues much like blood in a vein would.

"Well I wouldn't exactly say that, but I would really love to hear the part when you decided to betray us and join Tron!" Rancis dared, the pitch of his tone gaining a bit of a decibel. "I think that would be my favorite part! I know Vanellope would really love to hear that!"

"Si te lo dijera, tendría que matarte, lo que sería sin piel de mi nariz! (If I told you, I would have to kill you which would be no skin off my nose!)" Gloyd spat. "¡Parásito! (Parasite!)"

"Usted realmente debe ver lo que dice porque esas palabras tal vez su última! (You should really watch what you say because those words maybe your last!)" Rancis barked.

Before Rancis could blink one of his eyes, Gloyd swung his right fist towards him, the blonde teen quickly bounding backwards to avoid the hit.

"I guess now would be a good time to mention that your racing skills are as bad as your aim!" Rancis cracked towards the angry racer. "No wonder I keep landing in your spot on the tracks! Second place isn't so bad when you're me!"

Seething in the remarks about his racing skills from the blonde was enough to push the pumpkin themed racer over the edge. Gloyd lunged for Rancis, knocking him backwards onto the strawberry tiles below as he wrapped his hands around the boy's throat. Slamming his knee into the blonde's rib cage, Gloyd squeezed his thumbs onto Rancis's windpipe as his crazed vision caught with the peanut buttercup themed racer's. Having raced alongside the boy for the many times that he has, Rancis had to admit it to himself that he has never seen his racing comrade that angry before!

"Since you just _had_ to pry answers out of me, then here it is!" Gloyd fumed as Rancis grabbed onto the boy's wrists and tried desperately to unhook his hands from his throat that we ever closer to sending him into unconsciousness. "Sugar Rush is done for and Vladimir will ensure _this_ cabinet is wiped off of the face of this arcade! Sugar Rush has become a blemish, an eyesore that is taking up valuable space made for a more supreme game! Once Vladimir completes the final phase of his plan, _you_ and everything in this cabinet, will be _history_!"

"What about Vanellope?" Rancis choked, having mustered up what strength he could to try to talk the angered boy down. "The last person you would _ever_ want to betray is her! She has the delete button with your code's number on it! So you _better_ rethink what you're planning with your new buddy Vlad or risk facing her wrath!"

"And _that, my friend,_ is the best part!" Gloyd continued with a slightly crazed tone of voice. "With her in Tron and no ability to regenerate, she'll be _eaten_ alive with no chance to see her sweet sixteen and coronation! The warriors will have her code for breakfast! _You die outside your game, you don't regenerate!"_

Having heard enough venom being spat about his girlfriend and unyielding leader of their land, Rancis unhooked his right hand from Gloyd's left wrist and balled it into a fist. With what energy he was able to muster, he swiftly slung his fist into the boy's left jaw, knocking him backwards and ultimately being freed from his grip! Quickly jumping to his feet, Rancis drew in a breath coupled with a few coughs in order to regain his footing.

"You have no idea how long I've been waiting for this!" Gloyd retorted with a dark chuckle as he wiped away what blood escaped from his busted bottom lip and caught eyes with the blonde, Rancis noticing the darkness that lied behind them. "You maybe a better racer than I am, but what skills you have on the tracks, you lack in everything else!"

Before Rancis could question what the boy was going on about, he suddenly felt a sharp pain strike his abdomen and a flash of light appear in front of his vision as he was forcefully thrown backwards.

"You were never good at defending yourself because you were too afraid to ruin your appearance!" Gloyd spat as he repositioned himself after delivering an all in one uppercut and gut punch to his comrade. "Looks like I'm finally better at something than you!"

Planting his feet firmly on the ground, Rancis was mere seconds from approaching the boy when Jet suddenly rushed into the area, having rounded a corner in a hall that lead to the castle's front doors. In his continued hurry to the code room, Jet ran into Gloyd and harshly pushed the boy forward.

"If I bumped into someone, I'm sorry!" Jet expressed as he continued down the hall. "I'm on a mission to save the game!"

Before either boy could respond to what just took place, Set rushed past them in an attempt to catch up with his brother, clearly avoiding the stand off taking place between the two.

"Don't you go _anywhere_ near that vault Jet!" Set called out as he continued to pursue his twin.

Placing his attention on the two turbo twins that pasted them, Gloyd didn't notice Rancis's right fist coming towards him. The sight of the boy's fist came into his peripheral vision at the last second and turning his attention to Rancis connected his face with the punch! The hit was powerful enough to send the pumpkin themed racer rocketing towards the tiles below.

"Looks like my skills are sharp even off the tracks!" Rancis gloated as he cracked his knuckles. "And I've been waiting a long time to show you just how sharp they really are! Just so we're clear, even I know looks _aren't_ everything!"

 **Tron Legacy (Disc Battle Dome)**

Visibly exhausted from her last battle, Vanellope climbed to her feet and turned her attention to her life meter on the wall next to her, it reading exactly fifty percent. Turning her attention away from her life meter, she then focused it on the opponent in front of her. Unlike her last opponent, this player was a bit taller, had a stronger build, wielded two light discs, and the color pattern of his suit was neon blue. Taking in the sight of her opponent, Vanellope swallowed the small lump that formed in her throat! Unlike the last player, this one might be a bit harder to take down!

A new life meter appeared on the wall next to the new opponent as the overhead buzzer chimed to indicate the second round of the battle were to commence! The player held his discs out in front of him, placing one on top of another. His neon blue code appeared on his arms and raced up the extremities to his discs, forming a tether that held the two discs together like a yoyo. The streams of code continued to the discs with both glowing brightly from the power surge they received from their owner. Grinning as his dark visored eyes landed on Vanellope, the discs were released from his hands.

Before the girl could mentally prepare herself for the battle she was facing, her opponent's light disc "yoyo" was sent flying in her direction faster than she could process! Spotting the discs in her direct line of sight, the raven haired royal tumbled out of the way, to her right, and just in time as the yoyo was aimed straight for her head! The opponent pulled on the code tether and commanded the discs return to him. Whipping around to see just where the yoyo was, Vanellope tumbled to her left as the yoyo was once again aimed at deleting her during its boomeranging!

The yoyo returned to her opponent who effortlessly retracted the large roll while keeping his line of sight on the royal. Another toss of the disc yoyo was made towards Vanellope and once again, she tumbled out of the way, but felt herself becoming overwhelmingly exhausted after avoiding the attack. More so than from her first fight!

"I can't keep avoiding him throughout this fight!" Vanellope mentally scolded herself as she avoided yet another lunge from the yoyo. "I have to do something to distract him long enough for me to come up with a plan to get rid of him!"

Being begrudgedly reminded that her glitch was disabled, a blast from the past memory came to the girl, one that reminded her of the very situation she was in at that very moment.

With the tethered discs back in her opponent's hands, Vanellope eyed and narrowed her vision at the player that was aiming to delete her at the bequest of Vladimir! The yoyo was sent flying in her direction once more with the girl eyeing the discs as if she could repel them with her vision, a smirk forming on her face. With the discs inching ever so closer to her, in slow motion, the royal leapt into the air and straightened her body to perform a circular tumble while gripping her identity disc tightly with both hands. As she began tumbling, a memory from her childhood gymnastics days became clear in her mind as she remembered performing that same move when competing against a much older and more experienced team from another kingdom. In the stands to cheer her on were her father and Sour Bill as camera flashes and cheers caught her senses during the meet. All eyes were on her and she knew to pull off such a move, she had to give it her all!

The disc was fixed in the position of a ring hanging loosely within an empty room, the middle of the disc facing her opponent with each movement of the tumble she made.

" _You are the best there is Vanellope!"_ King Dacian's voice cheered to the young girl. " _You have the Candy code, a code no one in this arcade has! Make me proud!"_

"I sure hope this works!" Vanellope mentally verbalized as her code appeared on her hands that quickly fed into her identity disc. "If I can somehow break those discs a part, this battle will be over in no time!"

Her opponent's yoyo came within reach of the royal, but instead of slamming into and deleting her, the top of the yoyo came in contact with her disc as the movement of her tumble aligned the bottom of her disc perfectly with the groove of the yoyo. Vanellope's code in her disc reversed the code of the tron player's, destroyed the coded tether, and ultimately separated the discs from their yoyo form. The separated discs bounced off of the opposing walls, and criss crossed as they headed back for the opponent. Upon reaching the player, the discs created an iridescent 'X' and sliced through his abdomen. Vanellope's opponent was relentlessly destroyed, his data breaking down into tiny light pixels that faded into thin air. The full life meter quickly dropped to zero, officially ending the second disc battle match.

Completing the circular tumble, Vanellope landed back on the ground, on her feet as she began trying to catch her breath. Opening her eyes despite the sweat that dripped onto her eyelashes, the girl could hear the crowd cheering for her five year old self as she won that gymnastics meet that her well rehearsed tumble earned her. Not only did she win the meet, she won her kingdom's admiration for representing their name well!

Looking towards the top of the disc dome, Vanellope noticed the disgraced look on Vladimir's face! Smirking, the royal closed her eyes.

"I could have never done it without you dad!" Vanellope expressed. "I promised you I would never let you down and I meant that!"

As if gravity was pulling the girl down, Vanellope fell to her knees as all of her energy suddenly left her body. Turning her vision to the ground, Vanellope began panting heavily.

Looking down into the dome, Vladimir got to his feet and sneered at the sight of the victorious royal, despite how overwhelmingly tired she became after the second battle.

"How is she doing this?!" Vladimir roared as he harshly gestereud his hand towards the dome, particularly to Vanellope. "I disable her glitch and she still manages to win?! How is this possible?!"

Vladimir's assistant shuffled next to his enraged leader and peered into the disc dome to Vanellope.

"I thought her glitch was disabled!" Vladimir snapped as his assistant flinched from his booming voice. "When I asked you to do that one SIMPLE thing, you couldn't do that right! What good are you?!"

"You see sir." His assistant stammered. "When you asked to have her glitch disabled, that did not mean she didn't still have access to her code. She just couldn't use her code to summon her ability."

"Incompetent!" Vladimir screamed as the audience that sat along the benches outside of the disc dome flinched from the man's outburst. Vladimir then calmed himself to regain his footing. "That's alright, that's fine. We still have one more battle and with the prize being her father's _precious_ code block, we will see who comes out on top at the final battle!"

Turning to the right arm of his chair, Vladimir's eyes widened when he noticed that the space that held the block was empty. Looking to the left arm, he noticed that too was empty of the data block.

"Where is it?!" Vladimir panicked as he turned to his assistant. "I had it sitting right here!"

The answer to his question was immediately answered when the sound of an explosion occurred below him in the dome. Frantically looking down into the disc dome, the expression that read on Vladimir's face looked as if the man was on the verge of having a heart attack!

Pulled up and parked next to the royal on the rubble that was one entrance of the dome was the legendary Tron: Legacy Light Runner vehicle, the engine revving with a smooth pur and fog creeping away from the vehicle as it sat idle. Eyeing the car next to her, Vanellope narrowed her eyes at just who Vladimir was sending after her next.

"You just won't give up will you Vladimir?" Vanellope sneered.

Not in the physical or mental mood to fight any more of Vladimir's flunkies, Vanellope quickly climbed to her feet while mustering up what energy she could to put up one more fight. However, she was taken aback when the right side door opened to reveal who was pulled up next to her.

"Need a ride?" Jimmy asked to the girl with a sly smirk on his face.

"Jimmy?!" Vanellope questioned as her mouth hung open from shock at seeing the player. "But I have one more battle to fight!"

"I got news for you." Jimmy began. "I was your third opponent, _but_ I made other plans."

"But what about my dad's data block?" Vanellope questioned as she made her way over to the car. "I can't leave without that!"

Her question was answered when Jimmy held up the precious data block still encased in its orb.

"I don't believe Vladimir has any more leverage." Jimmy grinned as Vanellope hopped into the right side of the car, the door closing behind her. "Especially since he doesn't have this any longer."

"How did you get it?" Vanellope continued to question as Jimmy handed her the block of data.

"Let's just say I have a score to settle with Vlad and he just made my job that much easier." Jimmy answered as he turned his attention to the front of him. "If you have any more questions, feel free to ask me once we're at the safe point. There is a lot more to this than you can begin to imagine. Now buckle up because things will get a bit bumpy from here."

Waving his right hand in front of his face, a visor appeared over Jimmy's eyes. Vanellope put on her seat belt and eyed her father's data block in her lap. Slamming on the gas pedal, both passengers were thrown backwards into their seats as the light runner effortlessly made its way out on the other side of the disc dome, freeing both players from the dome while leaving a pile of debris in its wake.

Seeing that a player under his coded dome betrayed him, Vladimir's expression switched from shocked to calm.

"They escaped sir." Vladimir's assistant observed, eyeing the debris that was the players' entrance into the dome. "What should we do?"

"Let them go." Vladimir calmly answered as his assistant turned to him, confused by his sudden change in attitude. "Oh yes, just let them go. They may have the data block, but we have something _much_ bigger and _better_ at our disposal. Or did you suddenly forget about our Sugar Rush's ace in the hole?"

Behind the two and off in the shadows, Gloyd was listening to every word of Vladimir's and his assistant's conversation, including witnessing Vanellope part before he had a chance to catch up with her.

"Not if I have anything to do with it you don't!" Gloyd mentally voiced to himself as he narrowed his eyes at Vladimir.

 **Sugar Rush (Code Vault)**

Floating right beneath Vanellope's code box was the dimmed code box of King Dacian's. The right corner just above the king's picture on his code box sparked to life as two wires from the top and bottom of the box sprouted...

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 _ **Review Please!**_


	7. Secrets of Uncovered Truths!

Chapter 7: Secrets of Uncovered Truths!

'The second disc battled prevailed with Vanellope as the victor, but Vladimir's plan for her game seems to go beyond what she was originally told. What will happen now?'

 **Chapter Inspiration: Shelter by Porter Robinson and Madeon (Seriously guys, listen to the song as you read the first and last half of this chapter! It's very good!)**

 _Previously_

"Jimmy?!" Vanellope questioned as her mouth hung open from shock at seeing the player. "But I have one more battle to fight!"

"I got news for you." Jimmy began. "I was your third opponent, _but_ I made other plans."

"But what about my dad's data block?" Vanellope questioned as she made her way over to the car. "I can't leave without that!"

Her question was answered when Jimmy held up the precious data block still encased in its orb.

"I don't believe Vladimir has any more leverage." Jimmy grinned as Vanellope hopped into the right side of the car, the door closing behind her. "Especially since he doesn't have this any longer."

"How did you get it?" Vanellope continued to question as Jimmy handed her the block of data.

"Let's just say I have a score to settle with Vlad and he just made my job that much easier." Jimmy answered as he turned his attention to the front of him. "If you have any more questions, feel free to ask me once we're at the safe point. There is a lot more to this than you can begin to imagine. Now buckle up because things will get a bit bumpy from here."

Waving his right hand in front of his face, a visor appeared over Jimmy's eyes. Vanellope put on her seat belt and eyed her father's data block in her lap. Slamming on the gas pedal, both passengers were thrown backwards into their seats as the light runner effortlessly made its way out on the other side of the disc dome, freeing both players from the dome while leaving a pile of debris in its wake.

Seeing that a player under his coded dome betrayed him, Vladimir's expression switched from shocked to calm.

"They escaped sir." Vladimir's assistant observed, eyeing the debris that was the players' entrance into the dome. "What should we do?"

"Let them go." Vladimir calmly answered as his assistant turned to him, confused by his sudden change in attitude. "Oh yes, just let them go. They may have the data block, but we have something _much_ bigger and _better_ at our disposal. Or did you suddenly forget about our Sugar Rush's ace in the hole?"

Behind the two and off in the shadows, Gloyd was listening to every word of Vladimir's and his assistant's conversation, including witnessing Vanellope part before he had a chance to catch up with her.

"Not if I have anything to do with it you don't!" Gloyd mentally voiced to himself as he narrowed his eyes at Vladimir.

 **Sugar Rush (Code Vault)**

Floating right beneath Vanellope's code box was the dimmed code box of King Dacian's. The right corner just above the king's picture on his code box sparked to life as two wires from the top and bottom of the box sprouted...

 _Currently_

"No fair, you cheated!" The five year old Taffyta playfully yelled as she took the red race car from five year old Vanellope's side of the toy race tracks. "I had the car first!"

"But you removed the car from the tracks and you know what that means." Young Vanellope laughed as she took the car back from the girl and placed it back on her side. "You remove the car from the tracks, you lose it to me."

"When did you make that up?" Taffyta questioned as she cocked an eyebrow at the raven haired youngster.

"I didn't, you did!" The raven haired royal laughed as Taffyta took the car back from her friend. "So you have to stick to the rules."

"I remember her saying that if the car falls off the tracks then that player loses." Young Jubileena chimed in from Vanellope's right. "But the car didn't fall off the tracks, Taffyta moved it."

"Taffyta moved it which means it's mine." Vanellope victoriously stated as she took back what was on her side of the tracks.

"Something about this game doesn't make sense." Six year old Candlehead added in from Jubileena's left as she picked up the game's box's bottom. "Did you guys not check the rules of this game?"

"I made up the rules because the game's rules are kind of dumb." Taffyta stated as she picked up the blue car on her side of the tracks. "So my rules are, if a car falls off OR is removed from the tracks, then the player loses."

"Thank you Taffy." Vanellope smirks to her as she picks the car up and peers closely at it. "This red car is staying with me since you removed it from the tracks."

"Hey, wouldn't it be cool if we had a car like these?" Jubileena questioned as she picked up a car and closely observed it. "Like what your dad and mom have Vanellope? Those are awesome cars."

"I always dreamed of having one just like they do." Candlehead sadly stated as she placed the box down and peered to the toy tracks the girls were surrounding on the floor of Vanellope's bedroom. "Too bad we never will."

"We will one day." Vanellope cheerfully stated. "My daddy said when I were old enough, he was going to make me my very first kart and teach me how to drive it! I can't wait to grow up!"

"My mom is too busy with her business to teach me how to drive a kart." Taffyta expressed sadly as she moved the blue car around on Vanellope's carpet close to the racetrack. "My mom is too busy to do anything with me. I hardly get to see her and the only time I do is when she is coming in for the night when I'm ready to go to bed. She doesn't even come in my room and say goodnight to me like she did when I were four. I feel as if I'm just another person and not her daughter."

Silence quickly fell amongst the girls as each took in what Taffyta sadly stated about her mom and how much time she actually spends with her. Taffyta didn't have to look to each of her friends to know just how they were feeling about her situation. Having never met her mother before, they have noticed how unhappy Taffyta was with her home life each time they met up with the girl for the day. Even though she never voiced how miserable she was, they could read the signs all over her face!

"I don't see my parents too." Jubileena sadly voiced as well. "I only eat one meal with them at night on one day. The rest of the time, I'm here with Vanellope."

"Ditto." Adorabeezle added. "Ditto is right, right?"

"You know you can always come here Taffyta." Vanellope smiled, attempting to cheer the girl up. "All of you guys can. I like playing cars and dress up with you. If my daddy is going to teach me how to drive a kart, he can teach any of us."

"You do have some great parents Vanni." Jubileena expressed as her expression lightened up. "Especially your mom. She makes the best cookies!"

"And she's really nice." Candlehead added in.

"How does she keep her hair so shiny when she races?" Taffyta questioned as her expression also lightened from it's dismal state. "Its like she can't mess it up if she tried."

"I can't really say." Vanellope answered as she removed another car from the tracks, this time a pink one. "I don't get to talk to her much about it."

"When you do, I want to know all about it." Taffyta continued as she placed her blue car back on the tracks. "Ok, back to the game. Whose has next turn?"

"I do and I chose the pink car." Jubileena replied as she raised her left hand in the air. Vanellope playfully pulled the car back towards herself to keep Jubileena from getting it.

"No fair! I just picked it up!" Vanellope playfully whined.

"But I chose it, now gimme." Jubileena laughed as she held out her left hand to Vanellope. Looking to the girl's hand, Vanellope smirked as she handed the car to her. "Ok, I chose the blue track for the win!"

Placing the car on the electric track, Jubileena grabbed the track's remote that sat closest to Adorabeezle. Just as she was about to activate the track to move the car forward, Vanellope's bedroom doors flew open with an angry King Dacian appearing in the doorway, his glaring vision immediately falling on Taffyta. The other girls quickly huddled together, unsure of what was going on and why the king was so angry, but kept their eyes on him to watch his every move.

"You!" Dacian barked as he pointed his right index finger towards the blonde.

"Daddy?" Vanellope meekly voiced as she got to her feet.

"Stay out of this Vanellope!" The king spat to his daughter while keeping his angered vision on Taffyta, his eyes changing to those of his adversary Turbo. "It's all your fault that she's gone!"

"What?" Taffyta replied as she slowly got to her feet, her features expressing how terrified she was of the angry king. "My fault that who is gone?"

"My wife that's who!" Dacian growled as he stomped into the room, his face changing to the ashen grey of Turbo. "It's your fault she was just killed in a fiery kart accident! If you were never here, she would still be alive right now!"

The other girls peered their terrified vision to Vanellope and then to Taffyta before turning back to the angry ruler.

"Daddy! Mommy is gone?" Vanellope questioned, her voice sounding as if she were on the verge of breaking down any minute from hearing of her mother's sudden demise. "I just saw mommy this morning."

"Well it's all thanks to _your friend_ here that she's no longer with us!" Dacian continued as he advanced on Taffyta, a white helmet with a red T forming on the king's head. Through his rage, the king stomped on and destroyed the track set which made the other girls quickly scramble to their feet and out of the room in fear. "I had to _literally_ watch as her kart, the _very_ kart I made for her, kill her because you couldn't leave the past where it should stay! Do you know how that feels to have something so precious taken from you?"

Taffyta shrunk in fear under the king's blazing stare, feeling every bit of warmth in her body quickly escape. If being terrified could send one into shock, Taffyta would be well on her way there!

"Do you?!" The king iterated.

"I didn't do anything!" Taffyta stammered as she turned to Vanellope, but just as quickly back to the king. "I wasn't there, I was here with Vanellope."

"Don't you stand there and lie to me!" The king growled. "I knew you were bad news from the start! I wish my daughter never met you! _The sight of you sickens me_! You are _banned_ from _this_ kingdom from this day forth!"

Continuing to shrink under the king's terrifying glare, tears rushed to the girl's eyes as she fell to her knees, on top of the debris that was their race track game. Her vision became blurry as heavy tears brimmed her bottom eyelids and finally ran down her cheeks.

Dacian stomped over to Vanellope, harshly grabbed her right arm and began dragging the royal from the room while angrily barking commands to the girl, including never seeing Taffyta again. The platinum blonde girl was left to her misery as she slumped over and placed her face in her arms, more tears spilling down her cheeks as she cried with sob after sob racking her frame.

" _Taffyta..."_

"Vanellope, I'm sorry." Taffyta continued crying into her arms. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. I didn't mean to take her away!"

" _Taffyta, we need you!"_

As the girl continued crying, the entire room was suddenly shrouded in darkness and the area became unbearably cold. The tears on her face froze as her entire body became encased in ice. Despite the biting sensation of the chill blanes that covered her body, the blonde continued sobbing at the loss of her friend's mother.

" _Taffyta, this is your game! You have to avert all disasters while Vanellope is gone! Taffyta, wake up!"_

Taffyta's eyes suddenly shot open as she sat up with a start, her breathing labored due to the nightmare she just had. Frantically looking around the room, the blonde teen noticed that she was laying in Vanellope's bed. Taffyta's breathing began slowing down as she continued to take in her surroundings, suddenly noticing Ralph sitting on the floor at the foot of the bed staring right at her with a concerned look on his face. Confusion appeared on her features as she kept her eyes glued to him.

"Ralph?!" Taffyta asked in a slight panic as her breathing continued slowing down. "What's going on and how did I get here?"

"You collapsed after seeing your kart at the warehouse about an hour ago so I brought you in here to reset." Ralph informed her. "But I could ask you that same thing. I could swear I heard you saying you were sorry in your sleep. What were you sorry about or am I hearing things?"

Turning her vision away from the wrecker, Taffyta's eyes fell to the comfortable mint colored quilt that covered the lower half of her body as the dream she previously had came rushing back to her vividly.

"Vanellope's father." Taffyta began, her words seeping out quietly as she turned her vision back to Ralph's. "He was so angry and kept blaming me for her mother's death that I didn't cause."

"Why would he blame you?" Ralph questioned with confusion. "Vanellope told me her mother died in a kart accident when she was just a baby. You and her are the same age, therefore, you had no knowledge of it until she told you."

"I know." Taffyta nodded in agreement. "But something about that dream felt real, like I'm responsible for whatever happens to this game, even with Vanellope here as the core. You should have seen him Ralph, he was very angry and even wishes I never met Vanellope."

"Ouch, harsh." Ralph voiced with a flinch. "That doesn't sound like her father to me. Vanellope speaks very highly of him as the nicest guy you can meet."

"I know she does, which makes the dream all the more weirder!" Taffyta's tone pitched. "Why would I be responsible for killing her mother when I never met her mother? I know Vanellope and I don't have the best past, but I would never do that to her!"

Noticing how upset the girl was getting over the dream, Ralph quickly got to his feet and made his way over to the bed, taking a seat on the end of it. He reached over and pet the blonde's smaller hands in an attempt to calm her down. His vision once again caught with Taffyta's as a warm smile made its way onto his face.

"Listen Taffyta, it was all a dream which was probably caused by the amount of stress you're under while watching this game for Vanellope." Ralph warmly began. "I'm right there with you as I promised Vanellope that as long as I still have a code in my system, I wouldn't let anything bad happen to her or her game. Just imagine the amount of stress she's under right now. She had to game jump in order to recover a block of her father's data in order to try to stabilize this game. That was a tough decision to make knowing what could happen to this game without her here. Her father looked down on game jumping, but she did so she can save him and this game. So if you ask me, she has it worse than any of us right now."

Turning her vision away from his once more, Taffyta nodded in agreement.

"I can imagine." Taffyta voiced.

"And who knows, maybe the dream was trying to tell you something." Ralph wondered as he gestured his right hand outward. "I couldn't quite tell you what that is, but it could be anything. But I do know her father wouldn't blame you for a death that you weren't even around for. Plus her mother's accident happened at the-"

"DisneyLand arcade." Taffyta finished the wrecker's thought. "Her mother was in the final lap of a very complicated track when she was ran off the road by her rival and her kart exploded when it hit a concrete wall. After that incident, the game was moved here to Litwak's arcade. It wasn't long after that when I and the other racers were programmed into the game. But the weird thing was, her mother's rival looked just like me. Same eye color, hair, and look just like I do. Vanellope told me the woman hated her mom because her father chose Veronica over her and the woman vowed to take her place anyway she could."

"Wow, I never knew that." Ralph nodded. "But even she did, it's not like-"

Ralph's thought was abruptly cut off by the blaring alarm of the code vault tearing through the comfortable air between the two.

" _INTRUDER ALERT! INTRUDER ALERT! INTRUDER ALERT! CODE VAULT ATTEMPTED ENTRY!"_

 _"_ Great! As if this game needs anymore trouble!" Taffyta shouted as she covered her ears from the blaring alarm. "Now someone's trying to break into the code vault!"

"This might be a dumb question, but by any chance did Vanellope set the alarm siren that loud?" Ralph yelled over the blaring alarm as he too had his large hands plunged over his ears.

"That's a dumb question alright!" Taffyta slightly laughed as she jumped off the bed and ran towards the bedroom door with Ralph getting to his feet to follow suit.

 **Code Vault Entrance**

"Incorrect access code!" The vault's computer loudly voiced as Jet entered another combination of what he thought was the vault's code, a loud buzz indicating that he entered the wrong code once more. "You have no attempts left! Castle security is on its way!"

"Come on!" Jet sighed as he pressed the start, select, A and the B button only to get the angry buzzing as a result. "One of you has got to be the code! I have to get in here to reset the game! Don't you care what about happens on this grid?! Because I do!"

Pressing a combination of the up and down arrows, the start, and select buttons, Jet is met with the angry buzzing once again. The turbo twin was beyond livid at that point!

"Come on! It can't be this hard!" Jet practically yelled as he tried another combination of the code. "I'm going to get into this vault if it's the last thing I do!"

"Zero attempts left! Castle security is on its way!" The alarm voiced loudly.

"What castle security?!" Jet yelled as he tried another code. "Everyone pretty much ba-"

"Jet! Step away from that controller!" Set's voice barked as he abruptly cut off his brother's thought. Jet turned around and noticed his brother slowly advancing on him, an angry scowl etched on his face. "You have done enough! Back away now and I promise I won't drag you back to the tracks by your neck!"

"Set, I can't be bothered right now!" Jet retorted as he turned back to the gamepad to continue trying to gain access to the vault. "I don't know about anyone else here, but I care enough about this game not to let it go to the digital graveyard!"

Being fed up with his brother's stubbornness and one track mind, Set lunged at his brother and grabbed him by the shoulders. Gripping onto his shoulders, Set slung Jet around to face him with the slightly younger twin's right hand slamming into the up arrow twice!

"Jet, this game is in enough trouble!" Set growled, his angry vision catching with Jet's as he pushed his brother's back roughly into the pad. "These racers can not afford to loose their home! If you go into that code vault and tamper with anything, that will give Litwak one _more_ reason to unplug this game! You saw that orange tag! What else do you need?"

Mustering his anger, Jet pushed himself off of the pad with his right foot, not knowing that he pushed the down arrow twice with it!

"I'm trying to help this game!" Jet growled as he forcefully pulled his brother's hands from his shoulders and sternly pointed his right index finger at him. "Can't you see that?! Taffyta is _not_ doing the job that Vanellope gave her so someone has to take the lead here!"

"Jet, we're new avatars and for the love of user, the poor girl is overwhelmed! Can't you see that?!" Set yelled, practically to the top of his lungs. "We don't have the slightest clue about what goes on in that code vault! Our game was not this advanced remember?!"

"Well it's never too late to learn!" Jet shot back as he turned back to the gamepad to continue trying to input a code. "And I'm willing to if no one else is!"

Feeling his temper flare to the surface once more, Set lunged at his brother again, this time slamming the front of his body against the pad. Placing his hands on the pad to push himself off, Jet's hands pushed the right and left arrows twice while slinging his brother backwards onto the ground.

"You _better not_ touch another button!" Set urged to his brother as he got to his feet. "I'm _warning_ you Jet! Touch another thing on that pad and you'll lose _every_ last finger on both hands!"

Ignoring Set's warning, Jet pressed the B and A buttons to begin trying another combination of a code, despite the blaring alarm.

"You really did it this time!" Set loudly growled as he lunged at his brother, slamming the front of his body against the start button and practically knocking the wind out of him!

With the correct code inputted, a clicking sound occurred and the game pad flipped horizontally as the doors to the vault opened with a soft whir. Having been thrown against the doors and with a licorice rope already tied around him, Jet and Set fell into the vault with Set tightly holding onto his brother's legs. Feeling his anger quickly change to panic, Set looked around the vault before looking down to the vast void below him.

"Jet, whatever you do, don't drop me!" Set begged as he gripped tighter onto his brother's ankles while continuing to look down. "I'm sorry for fighting with you out there and I wouldn't blame you if you made me let go! I probably deserve that if you did! But just know I'm sorry! Just please don't drop me!"

Jet only heard his brother's words in passing, but his attention was drawn to the sight in front of him as he and his brother continued slowly floating towards the mass collection of code boxes. The king's code box's wires were continuing to sprout from the top and bottom, slowly reaching the connecting points of the vault so it could have the life it once had.

"Jet, I know you really want to help the game out and I guess I wasn't really seeing it your way." Set continued as he looked up at his brother. "I know you can be really emotional and I can be the str-"

Set's thought was cut off as his attention was suddenly drawn to what Jet's attention was hung onto, the sight of the King's code box slowly regaining life. Cocking an eyebrow, Set turned his attention towards his brother before turning it back to the code box.

"Um, I don't think that's normal." Set voiced.

Outside of the vault, Taffyta and Ralph arrived and noticed the doors were open and that one of the ropes were drawn into the vault.

"Boy, that intruder didn't waste any time did he?" Ralph observed as Taffyta turned off the vault's alarm by panel and grabbed the last rope, quickly tying it around herself.

"Well then, he won't waste any time giving me the answers I'm looking for!" Taffyta barked as she yanked onto the rope to ensure it was tightly tied around her waist. "I don't know how he got around the alarm, which would be enough to scare anyone off, but he won't get around Taffyta Muttonfudge! If he wants to take the game down, he's going to have to get passed me first!"

"Good luck to you." Ralph voiced. "I'm going to head back to my game now as I'm sure Felix is having a major game over with me gone. But if it helps, you're one of the best people to ever come into Vanellope's life. I can't tell you what that dream was trying to say, but Vanellope wouldn't have trusted you with her game if she didn't see any good in you."

Hearing those endearing words from Ralph was enough to push the blonde girl's anger to the side for a moment and let a smile sprawl on her face.

"Thanks Ralph." Taffyta sweetly voiced. "That means a lot."

"You got it kid." Ralph replied. "Now you go in there and show that bottom feeder what for and if you need me, I'm right across the station at Fix It Felix Jr."

With a nod, Taffyta turned and dived into the vault as Ralph made his way out of the cyan walk away. Feeling her anger bubbling to the surface once more, Taffyta's eyes followed the first rope's path and spotted the outline of two figures in the light created by the data streams. One with the rope tied around his waist and another hanging off of the first figure. Taffyta narrowed her eyes and gritted her teeth slightly at the sight.

"I've got you now you code eater!" Taffyta cursed as she began swimming the length of the rope. "And you brought a friend! Once I get my hands on both of you, you'll regret _ever_ stepping foot in _my_ game!"

Fiercely swimming along the length of the rope and as she got closer to the code vault's intruder, her eyes widened at who she saw on the end of the rope. That made her anger flare that much more! Swimming up to them, the girl narrowed her eyes to angry slants!

"Jet! Set!" Taffyta called as both boys turned in her direction. "I thought there was an intruder in the castle and was coming in here to slaughter them, but instead I find you two in here! Care to tell me what you're doing in here and just how you got in?!"

"Yea, funny story about that." Set voiced first as Taffyta placed her hands on her hips.

"I was trying to get into the vault so I can reset the game to erase all the problems it's having now." Jet began spilling. "But my codes didn't work and set off the vault's alarm."

"I tried to stop him, we fought, and somehow we ended up falling in." Set continued his brother's thought as he turned his attention back to the endless void below them. "By the way, how deep is the drop down?"

"When we got in here, I immediately found that." Jet finished as he pointed to the king's box. Taking her attention off of the turbo twins, Taffyta noticed that the King's box had sprouted wires that were growing longer by the second. "Something about that just doesn't seem right. I thought the king vanquished years ago which means his box shouldn't be active."

Eyeing the box suspiciously, Taffyta noticed the ends of the wires were trying to feel around the vault for a reconnection point.

"He did." Taffyta slowly answered Jet as Set began climbing up on his brother for a safe point. "I need to check Vanellope's box to find out what's going on."

Swimming away from the boys, Taffyta swam upward towards Vanellope's box. Reaching it, the blonde tapped it twice and as the box opened in front of her, a barrage of sparks came flying out. Floating a few inches from the box, the sparking simmered down enough for Taffyta to see that the communication link that she and Vanellope share had been severed. Her eyes widened in shock as Jet with Set clinging to his back swam to her right, taking notice of the same sight.

The three looked to the king's struggling box, back to Vanellope's open code box, and then back to each other.

"Ok, I'm going to take that as a really bad sign." Jet voiced.

 **Castle Hall**

A lovely hand blown crystal vase with two dozen fully bloomed roses in it was mashed over Gloyd's head in an attempt to keep him from reaching Rancis's throat once more. Recovering quickly from his disoriented state, the pumpkin themed copy shot a death glare at the blonde as he lunged at him. Latching onto the boy's waist, Rancis was slammed against the wall harshly, his back biting at the blonde for the pain that just erupted. Letting go of the boy, Gloyd watched as Rancis slumped over in pain and took that opportunity to grab him by the throat with his left hand while lifting him off the ground. Feeling his fighting spirit quickly fade, Rancis mustered up what energy he could to try and pry the copy's hand from this throat.

"I don't know what the princess even sees in you!" Gloyd mocked as he lifted Rancis higher off the ground, the boy kicking his feet in an attempt to deflect his attacker. Rancis's cheeks flushed due to the amount of oxygen he weren't getting due to his attacker's hand cutting off the air he could receive. "If only she would open her eyes and see that the man for her is standing right here!"

"She'd rather lose every last _bit_ of her coding then to _ever_ date someone like _you_!" Rancis choked, which made Gloyd growl and tighten his grip on his throat.

"If I were you, I would _watch_ what comes out of my mouth!" Gloyd darkly growled. "Because I'm two seconds from shutting it! But once I delete you from this grid, I'm going to scatter your _useless_ code into SodaStream Bay! Don't bother to worry about Vanellope, I'll be sure to give her _all the comfort she needs_ and one whopping big kiss from you!"

"Quite the contrary!" Adorabeelze's voice chimed in as Gloyd was suddenly engulfed in a block of solid ice. With the grip on his throat loosened, Rancis fell to the ground and began trying to catch his breath as he drew in large gasps of air while holding his throat. "It is your code that will be scattered in Soda Stream Bay and I'll be the one doing the scattering!"

Adorabeezle walked from behind the ice block, dematerialized her ice rocket, and knelt down to help Rancis to his feet. Grabbing his right hand, Adorabeezle pulled him to his feet while noticing the shattered vase and scattered roses under foot.

"And that didn't knock him out?" Adorabeezle questioned.

"Beezy, I owe you big for this!" Rancis choked as he continued catching his breath. "But how did you know what was going on?"

"Minty." Adordabeezle revealed. "She alerted me to the problem not long ago and I would have been here sooner except I was stuck in the kitchen. Taffyta assigned me to bake Vanellope's coronation/birthday cake."

"Sooner or no, you came right on time." Rancis clearly voiced, having finally caught his breath. "It appears that we have a mole in our game."

"One I don't mind sending back to Tron!" Adorabeezle snarled as she wrinkled her nose and turned back to the block of ice that was Gloyd. "Whoever sent him, is going to get one heck of a delivery when I stamp him return to sender!"

Giving the girl a once over glance, Rancis took a step back from Adorabeelze.

"You're not suggesting we go to Tron to send _that_ back are you?" Rancis dared to question. "We can't just game jump! Vanellope already took a huge risk by doing it herself!"

"Who said anything about you going?" Adorabeezle shot back as she gave Rancis a sly side eye gaze. "I plan to make it a quick drop off."

 **Tron Legacy (Safe Point)**

On a hillside that sat right across from the entrance of the game were Jimmy and Vanellope as they stared at the game's infinite iridescent teal horizon.

"So once I decided to turn the tables on ol' Vlad and swipe the block, I knew he'd try to think of some kind of revenge." Jimmy continued as he leaned forward while turning his attention to Vanellope. She had her legs pulled to her body with her arms wrapped around them. "He never even saw that coming!"

Vanellope uttered a giggle while keeping her vision fixed on the horizon.

"You know, I once knew your dad and your mom." Jimmy continued as he looked to the horizon. "They were two of the best people I ever met in this arcade, especially your dad. I once considered leaving this game just to get my code written into Sugar Rush."

"What stopped you?" Vanellope finally voiced as she turned towards Jimmy.

"Well, once you get use to a game, that's the only coding you really know." Jimmy replied as he sighed through his nose. "Plus at the time I were thinking about it, Vladimir launched a rebellion against Sugar Rush."

Taking in the last of Jimmy's explanation made Vanellope's eyebrows raise in curiousity.

"What do you mean he launched the rebellion against Sugar Rush?" Vanellope questioned in almost an interrogating tone. "Vladimir told me that Garry lead the rebellion and that my dad offered him a position as a castle guard."

"Classic misdirection." Jimmy chuckled. "I figured he would pin that on Garry, but let me fact check whatever Vlad told you. Garry didn't lead the rebellion, Vlad did because Vlad was envious of what your father was, but Garry was so eager to be his right hand man that he was an easy target to pin that fight on to keep his name out of it. Plus your dad never offered him a position. Vlad tried several times to kidnap your mom while you were being coded, but your mom had the moves to keep Vlad in line, much like you did in the ring back there. I know you might not want to hear this, but your mom was pretty hot."

"Ok, gross!" Vanellope spat. "Not you too!"

"Let me finish." Jimmy laughed. "Your mom was hot, but she was a pretty skilled fighter much like you and not to mention, you look just like her."

"I get that a lot." Vanellope smiled as she looked back to the horizon. "So can you tell me what my mother was really like? I never got to know her as she died when I were just a baby."

"I could, but that would take more time than we have right now." Jimmy retorted as he got to his feet. "You have another block of your father's data to get and meet up with an ally who will lead you to your next destination."

"An ally?" Vanellope questioned as she got to her feet. "How will I know who that is?"

"Trust me, you'll know." Jimmy confirmed with a wink. "And when you get the chance, tell your dad I made up my mind about the offer."

Before Vanellope could reply to Jimmy's last statement, Jimmy grabbed his identity disc and lined it up with hers, both discs glowing brightly from the connection. Her data was then broken down and wiped from the game's grid.

"See you in Sugar Rush." Jimmy greeted in a farewell tone.

In the hall of Game Central Station, Vanellope's data was reconstructed as her entire form became completely defined. Feeling slightly disoriented, the royal surveyed her surroundings and noticed she was back in the arcade.

"Made up your mind about what offer?" Vanellope questioned to herself as she gestured her hands outward.

"Vanellope Von Schweetz?" A calm voice spoke to the royal from behind. Whipping around, Vanellope spotted a tan skinned woman with green hair standing about her height, hazel eyes, and wearing a white and gold kimono standing behind her.

"Who are you and how do you know my name?" Vanellope voiced, her tone laced with suspicion.

"My name is Tea Tootsie." The woman introduced herself. "And we must hurry to retrieve the next block of your father's data."

* * *

 _ **While I never have time to reply to my reviwers in my chapters, I would love to thank the following long time and loyal readers that give meaning to every chapter I post: Antha1, Mon-ra, GameLover41592, Exotos, Hardwrapping, and many others who just make my day with your reviews! I thank and appreciate every single one of you for being patient and supportive!**_

 _ **On a similar note, Schweet Deal should be updated next weekend with an all new story so stay tuned!**_

 _ **Review Please!**_


	8. Secrets of Rogue Tron Players!

Chapter 8: Secrets of the Rogue Tron Players!

'Vanellope has met another ally that, like Jimmy, knows where her father's data lies. Could the new ally Tea be trusted or is she working with the enemy?'

 **Chapter Inspiration: Send Her My Love By Journey**

 _Previously_

"What do you mean he launched the rebellion against Sugar Rush?" Vanellope questioned in almost an interrogating tone. "Vladimir told me that Garry lead the rebellion and that my dad offered him a position as a castle guard."

"Classic misdirection." Jimmy chuckled. "I figured he would pin that on Garry, but let me fact check whatever Vlad told you. Garry didn't lead the rebellion, Vlad did because Vlad was envious of what your father was, but Garry was so eager to be his right hand man that he was an easy target to pin that fight on to keep his name out of it. Plus your dad never offered him a position. Vlad tried several times to kidnap your mom while you were being coded, but your mom had the moves to keep Vlad in line, much like you did in the ring back there. I know you might not want to hear this, but your mom was pretty hot."

"Ok, gross!" Vanellope spat. "Not you too!"

"Let me finish." Jimmy laughed. "Your mom was hot, but she was a pretty skilled fighter much like you and not to mention, you look just like her."

"I get that a lot." Vanellope smiled as she looked back to the horizon. "So can you tell me what my mother was really like? I never got to know her as she died when I were just a baby."

"I could, but that would take more time than we have right now." Jimmy retorted as he got to his feet. "You have another block of your father's data to get and meet up with an ally who will lead you to your next destination."

"An ally?" Vanellope questioned as she got to her feet. "How will I know who that is?"

"Trust me, you'll know." Jimmy confirmed with a wink. "And when you get the chance, tell your dad I made up my mind about the offer."

Before Vanellope could reply to Jimmy's last statement, Jimmy grabbed his identity disc and lined it up with hers, both discs glowing brightly from the connection. Her data was then broken down and wiped from the game's grid.

"See you in Sugar Rush." Jimmy greeted in a farewell tone.

In the hall of Game Central Station, Vanellope's data was reconstructed as her entire form became completely defined. Feeling slightly disoriented, the royal surveyed her surroundings and noticed she was back in the arcade.

"Made up your mind about what offer?" Vanellope questioned to herself as she gestured her hands outward.

"Vanellope Von Schweetz?" A calm voice spoke to the royal from behind. Whipping around, Vanellope spotted a tan skinned woman with green hair standing about her height, hazel eyes, and wearing a white and gold kimono standing behind her.

"Who are you and how do you know my name?" Vanellope voiced, her tone laced with suspicion.

"My name is Tea Tootsie." The woman introduced herself. "And we must hurry to retrieve the next block of your father's data."

 _Currently_

Having witnessed the core of Sugar Rush leave in the legendary Tron Light Runner with a white haired tron player, Gloyd made his way back into the main area of the game, trying every door he could find so he could escape and let his cohorts back in Sugar Rush know what he discovered. A dark secret that even he wouldn't take to his grave!

Having made his way back into the prison area, Gloyd could literally hear how nosy his mind was as he tried to think of what his next move was going to be. He wanted to help the other imprisoned players, but could not think of a way to free them without giving himself away. He was able to escape by easily taking down the robot guard that came in to check on the prisoners, but performing that same act would prove to be risky. Plus there didn't seem to be any other guards after that one...

"How am I going to get them and me out of here?" Gloyd quietly questioned to himself as he continued to journey down the dimly lit hallway outside of the room the prisoners were being held in their cells. "I would clearly give myself away if I had them follow me out, but if I just bailed, then they would be left to Vladimir's dictatorship! There has to be a way to get them and myself out of here, but how?!"

Adjusting his vision in what light was provided in the hall, Gloyd spotted a tan door a few feet from him. With a renewed sense of hope for escaping back to Sugar Rush and a wide smile, Gloyd ran to the door and grabbed tightly onto the knob. Turning the knob, the smile the pumpkin themed racer had quickly fell at the sight of the room being just like every other door he tried prior, a closet full of cleaning supplies.

"You have to be kidding me!" Gloyd fumed as his temper quickly bubbled to the surface at the sight in front of him. "Just how many janitor's closets does this place have? From what I've seen of this _crummy_ game, Vlad doesn't look he uses half the stuff in these closets! It's all a waste if you ask me!"

"Yes, your opinion would very much be appreciated." A very eerie voice expressed to the boy from behind, causing his code to appear on his skin and glitch up his spine. "However, I wouldn't be _too_ worried about my cleaning closets if I were you!"

With a stiff spine, Gloyd slowly turned around to the owner of the voice to find Vladimir Stripes's icy blue eyes staring down at him, boring a hole straight into his soul through the boy's chocolate brown eyes.

"I would think your first priority would be finding a way back to what will soon be what's _left_ of your home." Vladimir taunted as Gloyd narrowed his eyes at him, his sense of fear quickly vanishing. "Isn't that what you had in mind when you escaped from your cell and wound up on the disc battle bridge?"

Hearing that he was spotted on bridge just long enough to witness Vanellope take off with Jimmy made the boy's mouth fall open, dropping any arguments he had in mind to sling the enemy's way. He could have sworn he was deep enough in the shadows that no one could see him, but apparently not as deep as he thought!

"Oh yes, I spotted you as you watched your _precious_ core run off with what is supposed to be one of _this_ game's top players!" Vladimir continued as he took a step towards Gloyd, which made him take a step back towards the door he opened. "If you want my opinion, she was your last hope to escape from here, but now that she's gone, what are you to do dear boy?"

"I don't need Vanellope or anyone's help me get out of this _condemned dungeon_ if that's what you're thinking!" Gloyd snapped back, his angry brown eyes speaking to the dictator that he was not to be intimidated by him. "If you haven't noticed, _Vlad_ , every game's program has a trick back door, including this one and I intend to find it if that's the last thing I do! Being a program, I can easily slip out once I find it! When everyone back in Sugar Rush knows what your plans are and find out that you cloned me, let's just say at least I warned you for what's next!"

A smile made it's way onto the ruler's face which then turned into a dark chuckle. Fixing his eyes back on the boy, the smile that appeared became twisted with a crazed vision to match fixed itself on Vlad's features.

"So you think it'll be _that easy_ do you?" Vlad voiced, the pitch of his tone raising as he took a step back from Gloyd. "If that is what you have in mind, then you are sadly mistaken my boy. You must get through my creations if you want to make it back to your home game!"

"Creations?" Gloyd asked in confusion as he kept his stern air about himself. "What creations? Don't tell me there are copies of you running around here! Isn't one of you bad enough?!"

"Close, but no dice." Vladimir's voice trailed off into a loud hiss as he gestured his right arm out to his side. From the darkness, several characters that Gloyd shared the cell area with emerged, the first character being a clone of Princess Daisy. The look on each of their faces were that of angry zombies, all other emotions devoid from their programming. The princess angrily approached the boy and roughly wrestled his arms behind his back, tightly gripping onto his wrists to prevent him from breaking free.

"So, how are your plans for reaching that backdoor going for you again?" Vladimir taunted with a laugh as Daisy tightened her grip on Gloyd's wrists, forcing him to his knees. "Bottom line you sugar coated _parasite_ , if I were you, I would have second thoughts about finding that door and even if you managed to find it, I doubt you'll make it out enough time before your game is obliterated! So get comfortable because it looks as if your reservation has just been extended."

Feeling Daisy's nails digging into his skin, Gloyd flinched as a small smile appeared on his face.

"You know, the Candy Kingdom is looking for a few new guards." Gloyd voiced. "You might want to stop by sometime."

 **Sugar Rush**

With the destination of SodaStream Bay hanging in the forefront of her mind, Adorabeezle's Ice Rocket kart blew up several dust clouds as it burned rubber towards the area with what she had to dispose of strapped to the back of her kart.

Driving along the area, the ice themed racer had to admit that with as much time as she spent on the tracks and in the village near her home, there were several areas in the game she hadn't seen, including the area she was currently driving into. The entire south end of Sugar Rush was an enchantment, a beautiful wonder that held many amazements with only so few able to enjoy what it has to offer. The endless soda themes that that corner of the game represented made the racer glad to be a part of such splendor and wonder, a place that she could easily go and get lost after a long day on the tracks. However, with the important mission nagging at her, Adorabeezle could not afford to get lost in the wonder that was Sugar Rush south. But it is certainly on her list to visit again once this drama surrounding the game was finally at an end!

"I have got to visit this area of the game more often." Adorabeezle stated as she picked up speed towards her destination. "It is _so_ unreal!"

Spotting SodaStream Bay just on the horizon, Adorabeezle pressed her foot harder on the gas pedal, anxious to be rid of the mole that was plaguing their game. Finally arriving at the railing to the crystal clear bay that so closely mocked the soft drink Sprite, the ice rocket was put in park as the girl removed her helmet. Jumping out of the kart, a smile made its way onto the face of the racer as she spotted the chunk of ice strapped tightly to the back of the kart.

"Now it's time for you to say goodbye to this game!" Adorabeezle stated as she began making her way to the back of her kart. "While the real Gloyd can't swim, let's just hope you can! If not, it's never too late to try."

Chuckling at her own joke, the racer finally reached the back of her kart, taking note of how she positioned the block on the back of her kart, but even more, the malware program that was frozen inside the ice. Reaching for the straps that tightly held the block onto the kart, the ice themed racer suddenly froze in her tracks as her code's outline appeared on her skin. Her data was then broken down and transferred away from her kart in a flash.

"You really thought you had me didn't you?" Gloyd dark voice spoke as Adorabeezle's code formed into an orb in the boy's open right palm. "I guess playing possum is another thing I'm good at because like I thought you would, you certainly fell for it! Boy, you players are so gullible! Yet this game is wholly popular in this arcade."

Staring down at the ball of data in his palm with one deranged gaze, the program's hair suddenly changed to that of shaggy snow white with his eyes changing to a rose color. However, just as fast as his features changed, they quickly changed back. Closing his palm containing Adorabeezle's data, her code was then absorbed into the program's data system, her code zipping along the avenues of his torso, neck, and arms. Bringing his closed fist into his view, Gloyd sent it flying into the ground beneath him, creating a giant crack in the ground that began where his fist made contact to the Diet Cola mountain range behind him.

"One down with so _many_ more to go." Gloyd chuckled as he turned his attention away from Adorabeezle's kart and back towards the castle, the tops of the palace being easily seen from that end of the game. "But I know _exactly_ who I'm going after next and I hope he's ready because this time, I'm playing for keeps!"

Turning his back completely to SodaStream Bay and the now abandoned Ice Rocket kart, Gloyd began making his trek back to the castle with the image frozen in the ice block vanishing.

 **Candy Kingdom (Code Vault)**

The king's code box wires continued to lengthen to reconnect to the game while Taffyta, Jet, and Set were frozen and watching the situation unfold, unsure of what their next move should be.

"Well, what are we going to do?" Jet whispered to Taffyta while slowly readjusted his brother on his back. "Should we step in to stop that thing from getting relinked to the game or what?"

"I say we stop it before this game incurs anymore damage!" Set expressed with determination as he clung tighter onto his brother's back. "We don't know what that thing might be planning so I say stop it and stop it now!"

"Something brought that code box back to life." Taffyta half heartedly expressed, unsure of what to make of the situation the three were faced with at that moment. "I don't know what we should do! If we try to stop it from reconnecting, we could make things worse than they already are. If we don't stop it, we could lose everything! What if it's been brought back to life to help us?"

"I say we don't trust it!" Set barked as he unlatched from his brother's back, forgetting the area the three were in. Quickly remembering why he was latched onto Jet, the feelings of fear quickly passed as Set felt himself floating in the zero gravity space, his confidence in taking control of the situation returning. "Wait, how is trying to stop that thing from reconnecting to this game going to make things worse?"

"I don't know!" Taffyta snapped as she placed her hands on both sides of her head, feeling a small headache coming on from the stress she was under. "The code box might have reactivated to help us fix what's going on here. That box does belong to Vanellope's father after all, the _original_ ruler of this game."

"I know exactly what to do!" Jet stated, tired of hearing Set and Taffyta's back and forth. "I'll put a stop to it so _I_ can go back to saving this game!"

"Wait!" Taffyta called out, stopping the anxious TurboTwin dead in his tracks. "I'll try to access the box to see what's going on. There has to be something that can let us know what's going on in there."

"We don't have time for that Taffy!" Jet snapped back as he made his way over to the box. "I'm going to put a stop to this once and for all so this will be one less worry we have to fuss over! We do have other things to worry about!"

"The name is Taffyta!" Taffyta fumed. "Think of Laffy taffy and just add 'TA' to the end of Taffy!"

Approaching a consistently lengthening wire from the top of the code box, Jet grabbed a hold of it and received a high voltage shock, causing his code to wig out on random areas of his body. Immediately releasing the wire, the shock continued surging through the racer's system, his body convulsing mildly as he floated away from the code box.

"Ok, that was a bad idea!" Jet voiced in a stammer as the shock once again slammed his frame and making his code wig out. "Something tells me that if we let this reconnect, we could be in for more than just being unplugged."

"What if Turbo is regenerating?" Set suddenly voiced which got Taffyta's and Jet's attention. "His data was destroyed in this game last year. Therefore, chunks of it could still be hanging around in the game causing the destruction that is taking place now."

"His data was neutralized in Diet Cola Mountain!" Taffyta corrected while rubbing her temples as a massive tremor slammed the game and shifted the position of the three. "In broiling hot cola! Which means it was totally destroyed and outside of this area of the game. Look, I'm going to check his code box to see if there is anything there that can help us figure this out because we are wasting time here!"

With no arguments from Jet and Set, Taffyta approached the king's code box and tapped the surface to open it, receiving a high voltage shock on the second tap. Pulling her finger away, the strawberry themed racer flinched as her code wigged along her frame.

"You know, Garry could be doing all of this." Jet concluded as his body convulsed from the aftershock of the shock he received. "He was killed in here by Vanellope after all. What if his data was never destroyed and it's wrecking havoc as we speak? Neither of us could go near that box without getting shocked, which means that's not the king's box, it's Garry's box! He's trying to protect whatever he plans to do to this game!"

"Jet, that's impossible." Set argued with his brother. "The king's name and picture is on the front of his box, which means it _only_ belongs to the one true ruler of Sugar Rush, outside of Vanellope of course."

"It _is_ possible Set." Jet argued back as he gestured his hands outwards. "Our code is made up micro sized data blocks that can get into just about anything when broken down! Garry was made up of the same metric, which means he could be anywhere in here breaking this game down section by section!"

"Do you know how amazingly inaccurate you sound right now?" Set continued arguing with Jet as the two came face to face. "Just like how inaccurate you were with the code to get in here?"

"We got in here didn't we?" Jet expressed, his tone spiking to almost a yell.

"Yes, after a _user_ forsaken miracle because you had no idea what it meant to get in here!" Set's tone spiked as well. "So much for your third try code theory!"

"That theory has always worked!" Jet snapped back.

"So why didn't it work this time oh _great_ genius?" Set retorted. "After thirty seven tries?"

"I will _always_ believe in the theory!" Jet fought back.

"I swear I'm surrounded by dead weight." Taffyta mumbled as she took a deep breath and turned in the direction of the bickering twins. "Guys! Right now is not the time for this! Vanellope game jumped, game falling apart, our existence majorly at stake here! Did you suddenly forget all of that?"

"Not now Taffyta!" Jet and Set yelled to the racer in unison as they went back to their argument.

Opening her mouth to add to the argument that she wanted to quickly put an end to, Taffyta's thought was suddenly cut off as her attention was taken off of the bickering boys and to a wire that sprouted from the bottom of the king's code box. Watching the wire slither through what light was provided by the data streams' near neon pinkish purple iridescent glow, she noticed that the wire was making it's way towards Vanellope's code box. Turning her vision back to the bickering twins, Taffyta's vision just as quickly shifted back to the wire.

"Uh, guys.." Taffyta began, but was ignored as the guys continued arguing about what could be causing the game's current destruction. Just seeing that wire continuously heading for the ruler's box was unsettling the strawberry themed racer by the second. Looking between the guys and the wire, Taffyta could feel her heart beginning to race about what that wire could do if it reached Vanellope's code box. While the wire was coming from her father's box, what if Jet was right about the box belonging to Garry in disguise? He was killed in the code vault so anything was possible!

Deciding not to ponder the situation any longer, Taffyta turned her back to the bickering twins, leapt for the wire, and grabbed it firmly with both hands. Despite the shock she was receiving, the strawberry themed racer kicked her feet backwards in zero gravity in an effort to keep the wire from reaching her best friend's box. As her code wigged out along the frame of her body from the voltage that continuously slammed her form, the racer felt as if she were on the verge of passing out, but keeping the one item functional that could possibly keep the game alive was at the forefront of her mind!

"You're...not...touching...that..box!" Taffyta stammered as she continued trying her hardest to keep that wire from reaching Vanellope's code box.

Breaking off the argument with an eye roll at Set's latest statement, Jet's attention landed on Taffyta and what peril she was in. Pushing away from his brother, Jet leapt up and grabbed Taffyta's center to try and help her keep the wire away from Vanellope's box. With him attached to Taffyta, the turbo twin received several high voltage shocks, which didn't seem to phase him one bit considering his earlier encounter.

Despite their best efforts to prevent it from reaching her box, the wire attached itself to the back with the prongs inside of the wire anchoring themselves into the frame. With their electrocution abruptly halted, Jet and Taffyta clung onto the wire, shut their eyes tight, and braced themselves for what possible destruction was upon them with the wire connected to the ruler's box.

After several minutes without a sudden sound or movement, Taffyta and Jet opened their eyes and looked around the vault.

"Ok I was certain something was going to happen once that wire touched her box." Jet stated, his voice echoing through the vault.

"Something is happening." Set calmly replied to his brother's open statement. "The com-link in Vanellope's box is being repaired."

Looking to each other, Taffyta and Jet rushed to the front of Vanellope's box and took notice of what Set was witnessing. The communication link that Vanellope shared with Taffyta was being repaired as streams of data from the king's box was filtering into hers via the wire.

"If that's not the king doing this, I don't know what is." Taffyta voiced.

 **Game Central Station**

"Your name is what now?" Vanellope suspiciously questioned the tame green haired woman standing in front of her. "And how do you know about King Dacian?"

"When the rebellion against Sugar Rush took place, I was one of the Tron players that rebelled against Vladimir." Tea revealed. "Many of the players did when we found out how much of a tyrant he was."

Taking in what Tea was telling her, Vanellope gave her a continued suspicious gaze, unsure of how to react the young woman.

"Do you by any chance know Jimmy?" Vanellope cautiously questioned.

"Oh my user yes! Jimmy was my inspiration to stand against Vladimir." Tea replied with a nod. "While I was not a major player in Tron like Jimmy, I did not want to be a part of any scheme Vladimir had against your game. Please, let us hurry to our next destination and I'll explain everything."

"Ok." Was all Vanellope could say as Tea began heading towards the outlet of Sugar Rush. "So what else do you know about my family?"

"Oh I know your father was a wonderful ruler and your mother was so sweet." Tea answered as the two neared the entrance of the game. "But I must say that your mother was one skilled fighter and racer. I've never seen a queen fight quite like her during the rebellion Vladimir lead against Sugar Rush and when I saw you, I could have sworn I was looking Veronica in the face."

"I've been getting that a lot today." Vanellope answered with a light sigh.

As the two approached the outlet of Sugar Rush, they were stopped by the same Surge protector Vanellope encountered previously. Seeing the digital guard made the royal roll her hazel eyes.

"Oh not this guy again!" Vanellope mumbled.

"Name?" The surge protector began questioning the two women firmly.

"My name is Tea Tootsie and this is my ally Vanellope Von Schweetz." Tea began nicely as the digital guard turned his stern shade covered eyes towards the two. "We are on our way to Sugar Rush and would kindly like to pass."

A cyan blue gleam in Tea's eyes appeared that locked the surge protector's vision to hers. The stern demeanor in which he was holding his clipboard and pencil dropped to a calming and relaxed state. Garnering a smile, the surge protector stepped aside and gestured his right arm out to welcome the ladies into the game's outlet. Vanellope's eyes widened at the guard's sudden change in behavior as earlier, she had to glitch around him just to get to Tron!

"You are free to pass." The surge protector permitted happily. "No need to declare! Enjoy your stay in Sugar Rush!"

"Thank you." Tea voiced as the guard zipped away in a flash. "Shall we continue Vanellope?"

With her attention turned to where the guard zipped off to, Vanellope turned back to Tea, her eyes still widened.

"Ok, he was not like that earlier." Vanellope expressed. "How did you do that?"

"I have my ways." Tea replied as she waved to Vanellope to continue their journey. Shaking off her shock, Vanellope caught up with Tea as the two entered the gateway to the game.

"Since you were there when Vladimir lead the rebellion against Sugar Rush, can you tell me how the first block of my father's data ended up in Tron?" Vanellope began as the two entered wires of Sugar Rush.

"When your father was killed by Turbo and before Garry invaded Sugar Rush, Garry transported the first block of data to Vladimir before trying to take over the game with a Cybug invasion." Tea revealed. "The rest of the data is scattered around in Sugar Rush, but the blocks are heavily guarded."

"Heavily guarded by who?" Vanellope questioned curiously as the two finally entered the game, the entrance conforming to their forms as they passed through.

"Rogue players aka guard dogs that Vladimir sent after Garry's defeat to keep your father from regenerating." Tea explained. "Since your father died in his own game, he had the ability to regenerate, but with one block of his data outside the game, that was impossible as all pieces must be in one place in order for a regeneration to take place."

"Hold on! You mean to tell me that there are spies in my game that I didn't know about?" Vanellope expressed as the two passed over the sour candy rainbow bridge and onto a path Vanellope was a bit unfamiliar with. "Everything runs through my code! I would have known if they were there as foreign codes are easily detected!"

"Not exactly." Tea continued as the two began walking along JawBreaker path. "When your father was killed and his code was dismantled, easily detecting foreign codes was also disabled as your father's code was the only one in the game that could do that. Not even your mother's code could do that. Your code can detect when the game is malfunctioning, when a player is experiencing a glitch, and when new avatars have been added. That was left in your programming when your father passed."

"Gee, to be the core of this game, it sure doesn't feel like it." Vanellope stated with a huff. "How do you know so much about my family anyway to be from Tron?"

"Jimmy and I spent a great deal of time with your parents." Tea stated as they continuously approached the destination. "I remember when you were just a tiny bundle when Jimmy and I met your parents. I even use to babysit you."

"Interesting." Vanellope mumbled as the two approached a cave like structure that was lined with different size JawBreaker candies. Entering the cave, Tea stopped in her tracks which prompted Vanellope to do the same.

"Here we are, JawBreaker Cove!" Tea introduced as she gestured her arms outward into the area. "This was one of my favorite places to visit when I visited this game."

"Yea, we'll sight see later, but for now let's get this block and get out of here!" Vanellope growled. "I can't wait to tear Vladimir a new one!"

Just as Vanellope took a step into the cove, her feet were suddenly glued to the ground by a sticky substance that was slung in their direction. The substance, however, missed Tea's shoes.

"Why do I feel like I'm suddenly back in Tron?" Vanellope barked as she struggled to move her feet.

Looking ahead of them, Tea's eyes landed and glared at the woman before them that was dressed in cowboy gear complete with the hat that covered her brown ponytailed hair. The woman lifted her hat as her angry brown eyes caught with Tea's.

"Cindy Syrupshot!" Tea growled.

* * *

 _ **I had a commission drawn for the final climax of this story and it is on my DA page by the name of Secret Code Spoiler Alert! :D While that pic only tells one part of the story's ending, there is more to just that happy ending than meets the eye! Soon, there will be a drawing posted for the Upgrade Mix-Up mini-series for Schweet Deal very soon along with another area of this story that I am excited to write for you guys! Once those pics are up, they will be announced in the upcoming chapters of this story and/or Schweet Deal!**_

 _ **If nothing else,**_

 _ **Please Review!**_


	9. Secrets of the Virus Codes!

Chapter 9: Secrets of the Virus Codes!

'Things have gone from bad to worse! Gloyd isn't a clone after all, but yet someone of the past is sharing his image to gain access to the Sugar Rush and finish what he started! And now Vanellope and Tea are facing a new enemy! How will this all end?'

 **Chapter Inspiration: New Person, Same Old Mistakes by Tame Impala**

 _Previously_

"Here we are, JawBreaker Cove!" Tea introduced as she gestured her arms outward into the area. "This was one of my favorite places to visit when I visited this game."

"Yea, we'll sight see later, but for now let's get this block and get out of here!" Vanellope growled. "I can't wait to tear Vladimir a new one!"

Just as Vanellope took a step into the cove, her feet were suddenly glued to the ground by a sticky substance that was slung in their direction. The substance, however, missed Tea's shoes.

"Why do I feel like I'm suddenly back in Tron?" Vanellope barked as she struggled to move her feet.

Looking ahead of them, Tea's eyes landed and glared at the woman before them that was dressed in cowboy gear complete with the heat that covered her brown ponytailed hair. The woman lifted her hat as her angry brown eyes caught with Tea's.

"Cindy Syrupshot!" Tea growled.

 _Currently_

"Alright everyone! The arcade's closed!" The girl from the Dance Dance revolution game called out as the owner of the arcade locked the doors to the establishment after the last kid left for the evening.

"What a day!" Ryu from Street Fight spoke to his opponent Ken as the two stretched their upper limbs after a long day of fighting. "Wanna head to Tappers for a drink? I'm buying!"

"Sure, since you're buying." Ken agreed as the two rushed off the screen.

On the west end of the arcade, other games and their tenants were wrapping up for the end of game day as well.

Tapping his golden hammer on a ground floor windowsill of the Niceland apartment building, the damage the structure suffered under Ralph's destructive fists was quickly repaired as the handyman and the wrecker looked on.

"And that's the last of them." Felix happily stated as he looked up at the building, a glimmering shine glossing over the entirety of the fully repaired apartment building. "Time to call it a day eh brother?"

"Couldn't agree with you more." Ralph replied as he rubbed his left hand knuckles into the palm of his right hand. "Today felt as if my job was harder than usual. Either I couldn't concentrate or the bricks to the building were a lot firmer."

"I could tell your mind was somewhere else for sure." Felix expressed as he and Ralph began heading towards the entrance of the building to get settled in for the evening. "Of course I can't blame you as even I'm worried about what will happen with Sugar Rush. I feel especially bad for Vanellope. It was bad enough Turbo nearly destroyed her home and then Garry came along and nearly shut the game down for good. There's no telling what might happen now with the uncontrollable tremors that's taking place. She has so much to deal with as the ruler."

"I know and that's what worries me the most about all of this." Ralph stated as he and Felix entered the building and began making their way to the elevator that lead to Felix's apartment on the fourth floor. "And in a few days, she will be queen of that game, not to mention a year older. I know she can handle herself, but apart of me still sees her as the hyperactive little girl I met. She was an outcast and we came to understand each other well. Now she's independent, strong, a princess, and now a future queen, something that I really haven't registered yet. It all happened so fast!"

"Things change Ralph, but you did something for her that no one else did." Felix continued as the two reached the elevator with Felix pressing the 'Up' arrow. The elevator doors slid open as the two climbed on. Pressing the number 4, the doors slid closed and began taking the two to their destination. "You helped her realize her true place in the game and that is something she will be forever grateful for. I know a part of you still sees her as the little girl you met a year ago, but she has grown up and knows what responsibility she has to face as the soon to be queen. She has a lot on her mind and plate."

"I know, but I just can't stand the thought of letting her go through this alone." Ralph voiced as the elevator stopped on the fourth floor with doors sliding open. The two stepped off and proceeded to Felix's apartment. "I can still remember when I met her in the Candy tree forest and we were fighting over my medal. My medal that I 'borrowed' from Hero's Duty."

The wrecker used air quotes to indicate what his plans were for the medal he took from the tower in Hero's Duty. Despite him stating that he borrowed the medal, he had no intentions of returning it as he had a point to prove to Gene, although the entire plan backfired on him.

"I remember that story well." Felix mused as the two finally reached his apartment door that was right off the elevator. With the turn of his key, the two entered the apartment as the recess motion detected lights lit up the room with a warm welcoming light. "When Vanellope told me that story, I swear that was the most amusement I had all week."

"So you found her stealing my medal amusing?" Ralph curiously questioned as Felix moved about the apartment. "At the time, I was-"

"Looking to be the good guy, I know." Felix finished his sentence as he walked into his kitchen, to the bar setting counter and grabbed two cups. "While I understood what you were aiming to do after chasing you all over arcade's creation, you can't change who you are. It's in your programming to be the bad guy and if you want my opinion, this arcade wouldn't still be here if it weren't for you."

Catching gazes with the wrecker briefly, Felix approached his refrigerator and opened it, grabbing a canister of ice cold orange juice that sat up front. Closing the door, the handyman poured himself and Ralph a glass each to wind down from a very busy game day.

"Well I guess you're right." Ralph voiced as he approached the counter and grabbed the small cup between his large fingers. "Being the bad guy now isn't so bad, but back then, please don't get me started."

"All I can say is, this game wouldn't be the same without the best bad guy in the arcade." Felix affectionately stated to his large comrade who flashed him a smile of approval.

Picking up his glass to begin sipping on his orange juice, the glass didn't reach the handyman's lips before the front door to his apartment was thrown open. Gene, who was being followed closely by Mary, entered hastily and marched up to Ralph with a scowled expression so twisted, it could cut glass!

"Gene, there is a better way to deal with this!" Mary cried as she tried to reason with the apartment manager. "For once, will you just listen to me?!"

"And just what did you think you were doing?!" Gene snapped as he stood within Ralph's personal space. "Don't you care about this game at all?! Once you became the _big shot,_ you suddenly forgot about us little people!"

Ralph, who quickly became confused at Gene's statement, placed his glass down and caught gazes with the apartment manager. Felix slowly set his glass down to monitor how the situation would unfold. While he knows Ralph can handle himself, he was more concerned about what Ralph might do to the apartment manager!

"Would you let Sugar Rush deal with their own problems?!" Gene fumed as he pointed an accusing finger towards the wrecker. "That _girl_ can handle her own game! She does not need YOU hanging around making matters worse! As much as I hate to say it, you have a responsibility in this game and this game ONLY! You are lucky that you arrived just in time before the after school rush of players! We could have gotten the orange tag had we got a quarter alert before you decided to drag your code back to the THIS grid!"

Hearing how Gene referred to his raven haired best friend, Ralph felt his code and blood quickly bubble to the surface of his skin. A scowl that far out matched Gene's appeared on his features as he got into the manager's face. A pang of worry fell over Felix as he continued to watch the situation unfold, deciding when would be the right time to step in to stop the escalating situation.

"Don't you EVER refer to Vanellope that way again!" Ralph darkly hissed as he firmly grabbed Gene by the collar of his blazer and brought the eight bit character closer to view. "She is the _best_ person you could ever meet and even turned this big bad guy into a huge softy because bitterness just ain't my flavor, but I guess you wouldn't know _anything_ about that now would you?! Bitterness doesn't take you very far you know!"

"Ain't that the muscle bound pot calling the kettle black!" Gene spat, which made Ralph bear his gritted teeth in continued rising anger.

"Ok, that's enough!" Felix added as he got between the wrecker and the manager, putting his fear of confrontation aside to defend his best friend. "Gene, you have no right barking at Ralph the way you did!"

"That's what I've been trying to tell him!" Mary added in as she folded her arms across her chest in disapproval. "When are you going to let up on him Gene?"

"Ralph may not be one of your favorite people, but he is the best at what he does, but even more, one of the best friends you could ever make!" Felix firmly stated as Gene crossed his arms across his chest. "Sure, he's rough around the edges, but once you get passed that, you see him for who he really is, a gentle giant with a heart of gold! He gives one hundred and ten percent with each endeavor he sets his mind to! While he was not here temporarily, he did return after making sure someone he cares about was in good spirits! He will always put someone before himself, showing you just how unselfish he really is and I can't wait until you finally see that one day!"

With each kind statement he heard from his best friend, Ralph's quick to boil temper quickly simmered down knowing that someone cared about him for who he was, someone other than Vanellope, the Sugar Rush racers, and the Niceland residents.

"He is not as bad as you make him out to be!" Mary added in, her voice firm. "All you're seeing is the role he plays in our game without really seeing him for who he is! He saved the arcade from a danger none of us had the strength to face and if it weren't for him, _you_ wouldn't be here!"

Due to Felix and Mary's logical arguments and stern stares, Gene's oncoming argument was dropped with the apartment manager releasing a defeated sigh.

"Just make sure you're here for tomorrow's rush Ralph and not a minute late!" Gene firmly stated as he hastily turned away from the handyman and the wrecker and began heading for the door.

"See you guys tomorrow on game day." Mary called out to the guys as she trailed Gene out of the door. The door was closed behind them with Ralph and Felix releasing sighs at the situation that just took place.

"Thanks for sticking up for me Felix." Ralph stated with a nod and he turned his attention back to the counter to his drink. "Kind of shocked at Mary sticking up for me though."

"Why would you be?" Felix stated as he approached the counter and grabbed for his drink, finally taking a sip of it. "After you saved this arcade from Turbo, she saw you for who you were like everyone else did. Gene will take some time, but he will eventually come around."

"I'm not concerned about Gene, I'm more concerned about Vanellope and her game." Ralph stated as he finally took a sip of his orange juice as well. "We should plan a visit with her tomorrow and this time, take reinforcements. I keep getting this nagging feeling that something's on the rise in there. Like those tremors are more than her father's code being absent from the code room."

"And I know just who to call!" Felix happily stated with the thought of his wife Tamora Calhoun crossing his mind. "What time were you thinking of going?"

 **Tron Legacy**

With another harsh twist of his wrists, Gloyd was being pushed down the hall by Princess Daisy, her empty angry glare kept to the back of his head as she obeyed her previous orders of escorting Gloyd to Vlad's office. Vlad led the line of emotionless clone zombies as he continued ranting on about Gloyd's previous attempt at escaping from the game. With every other notion Vlad made, Gloyd rolled his eyes a time or two, letting the character's statements go in one ear and out the other. If his hands were free, Gloyd would have motioned just how much Vlad was talking at that moment!

"You know, that offer to become a guard in the castle still stands." Gloyd cracked as he was continuing to be pushed down the hall. "You certainly have the strength for it and I think you and Vanellope would get along great. Taffyta might have a few reservations, but she is like that with everyone!"

With a snarling growl, Daisy dug her nails into the boy's wrists, indicating that she did not care for his comment.

"Ouch! Ok, point taken!" Gloyd flinched. "It was only a joke. Geez!"

"And yet, you cannot keep your mouth shut!" Vlad snapped as he slightly glanced back at Gloyd, but just as quickly turned back to the front of him. "Really, what is it going to take to close that mouth of yours? Dacian had that problem and look what happened to him. Some of my best work if I do say so myself."

"I was thinking the exact same thing about you." Gloyd mumbled to himself, but a harsher twist to his wrists by Daisy indicated that he didn't mumble low enough.

"Don't you just love Daisy?" Vlad arrogantly voiced as he closed his eyes for a split second and just as fast opened them up. "Who knew for a princess that she-"

The light skinned tyrant's thought was suddenly interrupted by the loud calls of his assistant that brought everyone to a halt. The clipboard carrying assistant came into view and ran up to the tyrant with Vlad looking less than pleased that his thoughts were interrupted.

"What is it? Don't you see I'm in the middle of a speech?!" Vlad snapped as he narrowed his vision at his assistant.

"I apologize sir, but I think you need to see this!" The assistant stated, his tone in a hurried voice of urgency.

Pulling out his tablet, the nervous young man quickly accessed the video application that the footage was displayed on and the file was saved to. After seconds of waiting on the file to open, an image of Soda Stream Bay was shown along with Gloyd as he stood near Adorabeezle's abandoned cart. As the character stared down at the ball of data in his open right palm, the character's appearance changed from the disguise to what his true appearance was, which was shaggy snow white hair and rose colored eyes with an arrogant smirk to boot. Vlad's eyes widened at the sight of the video footage as he felt his temper bubble to the surface at a rapid rate! Snatching the tablet from his assistant, Vlad played the video back once more, his mind screaming to him in disbelief of what he was viewing!

"I...I can't believe this!" Vlad stammered as he caught eyes with his assistant. "I thought he was destroyed! I made sure of that! What is he doing alive?! I thought that copy you made of this _one_ was a complete copy and paste, not an overwrite of someone else's programming! How incompetent are you?!"

"I did exactly as you asked sir, but that is what came up on the monitors." The assistant voiced nervously. "I did do a complete copy and paste of his code, a pure one. Somehow Garry must have disposed of the pure copy and copied Gloyd's code into his programming to take on his image."

Gloyd, who also caught a glimpse of the video Vlad viewed, smirked at the very thing that got under Vlad's skin, but a pang of curiosity hit him as well as the reason for the tremors in the game was due to Garry's regeneration and continued destruction. So if he were destroyed after Vanellope gave her final blow in the code vault, what was Garry doing in the game disguised as Gloyd?

"Ok, ok, I'm not going to allow my hard work to be undone by some rogue _imbacile_!" Vlad growled as he practically threw the tablet back to his assistant, the young man catching it just in time before it hit the ground. "You! Let's get one thing straight right now! I am _ever_ so close to replacing you, _but_ I'm going to give you a chance to redeem yourself! I have an impressive army that I have been saving for this very occasion. I want you to head to the holding area and give them explicit details about what their mission will be, but _do not_ act until I give the signal! Do I make myself clear?! You can follow those simple directions!"

The assistant nodded as he adjusted his small framed glasses on his face.

"Let's hope you can get this mission correct!" Vlad growled. "Daisy, continue escorting him to my office and keep him there until I give further instructions. With Garry back in the picture, my entire plan to have that game removed is in jeopardy! He will ruin everything!"

"Maybe he will take it down this time so you won't have to work so hard to do it yourself." The assistant confidently voiced as Vlad shot him a an evil glare.

"So Vlad, how's the taking down Sugar Rush plan going for you?" Gloyd cracked, tossing Vlad's earlier line back at him.

Gloyd's comment earned him a death glare from the tyrant and a pinch from the strong hold the princess had him in.

 **Sugar Rush (Near the race tracks)**

As the copy continued making his way towards the castle grounds, the fluctuating code of Adorabeezle and the image he tried the maintain using his own code caused the faltered disguse to fall away and reveal who was really behind the mask, Garry Gumball. Feeling his code wildly wig out throughout his system, the virus looked down at his hands and noticed that they were no longer under the guise he hid behind, but were back to his own hands. A smirk came to the virus's face as he raised his vision to the site in front of him, the Sugar Rush race tracks.

"Looks like my plan worked along enough to get me this far." Garry voiced as he lowered his hands to his sides and balled them into fists. "Might as well use this to my full advantage!"

Citrusella Flugpucker, who was walking along the far right track with Tarvold Batterbutter and Nougetsia Brumblestain, caught sight of Garry as Tarvold pointed in his direction. Seeing the confusion and rising of fear in the girls, Garry began marching towards the girls as his eyes widened hysterically. The three recolors began running in the direction of the castle with Garry hurrying in his pursuit after them. Throwing his hands out in front of him, the recolor's forms were immediately broken down into tiny bits of data and absorbed into the virus's palms in a flash of light!

Slowing his pace down, Garry looked down at his hands and noticed the code of the racers zip long his hands into wrists. Feeling the rush of the encounter, Garry looked forward and spotted another set of racers, his smirk widening. Spotting the virus, the racers took off towards the castle in a fit of horrified screams.

"Since Vlad wants this game destroyed so badly, he won't have any reason _not_ to thank me now!" Garry hissed. "And this rebellion will be of my own work!"

Widening his smirk, Garry began marching toward the race tracks as he zeroed his sight in on the remaining racers.

"I never could resist a good chase." Garry grinned.

In the main hall leading to the entrance of the Candy Kingdom, the commotion outside of the castle brought Minty and Rancis out to the landing of the castle's main entrance. Looking out at the hysterical commotion happening a short distance from the castle grounds and suddenly spotting who was behind the escalating crisis, Rancis balled up his fists as he felt his temper rising to the surface of his skin. Minty's code wigged out on her arms and legs as she spotted Garry off in the distance, the feeling of dread spreading throughout her system.

"What is he doing here?" Minty questioned as she stood behind Rancis. "I thought Vanellope destroyed him!"

"I don't care what he's doing here, but he won't be staying for long!" Rancis sternly voiced. "Stay back here while I go handle him!"

"Are you sure that's a good idea? You did turn into a cybug that last time he was in our game!" Minty reminded the racer before her. "If that happens again, there's no telling what might happen to our home!"

"Do as I say and stay back!" Rancis demanded as Minty's code wigged out on her arms and legs once more. "If it means turning into a monster this time around just to delete him for good, then so be it!"

Dropping her argument, Minty could only on watch on as Rancis began marching down the pathway leading to and from the castle. Absorbing the last racer in his path which was Snowanna Rainbow, Garry looked to the castle grounds and noticed that Rancis was making his way towards him. Locking his vision to the peanut butter themed racer, the virus narrowed his eyes to him.

"I see I'm not the only one seeking a rematch." Garry darkly stated as he kept his eyes on Rancis. "I'm so going to enjoy this and this time, I'll be the _only_ one walking away from this fight!"

 **Code Vault Entrance**

"The next time you want to try saving this game, don't start with in there!" Taffyta fussed as she pulled Jet back into the cyan walkway leading to the zero gravity code vault. "But if you hadn't fallen in, we would have never discovered what was going on with the King's code box."

"So I guess it was a good idea I chose to go in there, right?" Jet confidently stated as he untied the licorice rope from around his waist.

"NO!" Set and Taffyta loudly stated in unison.

"I never want to go back in there again!" Set voiced as he shuddered. "All that darkness and those wires, that's the stuff nightmares are made of! The next time we have a fight Jet, let's do it _outside_ the castle grounds?"

Before Jet or Taffyta could add in and continue on, a loud crash was heard outside the castle that shook the ground underneath them violently, nearly knocking the three off of their feet. The shockwave from the tremor suddenly cloaked the entire game in total darkness. Just as quickly as the darkness enveloped the area, the darkness was lifted which left an air of confusion around the trio.

"Ok, what just happened?" Jet asked as he looked between Taffyta and Set. The potential answer to his question was halted as he noticed Minty rushing up to the three. Hearing the footsteps and panting behind her, Taffyta turned around to notice a disheveled and panicked Minty.

"Oh thank user I found you guys!" Minty voiced with urgency, despite being out of breath. "I thought everyone was gone and I was the only racer left in the game!"

"What do you mean everyone is gone?" Taffyta inquired with a raised eyebrow. "Vanellope game jumped and everyone else is still by-"

"Garry is back and is absorbing every racer in the game!" Minty rushed. "Rancis was out there fighting him and-"

"What?!" Jet, Taffyta, and Set exclaimed in unison.

"What do you mean Garry's back?! How could he be back?! Vanellope ended him!" Taffyta voiced.

"He didn't absorb Rancis did he?" Set chimed in.

"No, but Rancis may not have long before Garry will!" Minty concluded her thought as tears surfaced to her eyes. "We have to do something before he gets deleted!"

"Stay back here, I'll take him on!" Taffyta challenged. "This ends and today! Vanellope put me in charge which means not only will I fight for this game's code, but I'll be the one to restore it!"

Before either racer could protest at the danger Taffyta was putting herself in, the strawberry themed racer rushed down the hall towards the entrance of the castle with the many ways to end Garry rushing through her mind.

"So, do you know what caused that black out that happened just moments ago?" Jet questioned which earned him stares from both Minty and his brother, both wondering if the new avatar has been awake through the entire crisis.

* * *

His code wildly flickered on his injured right shoulder, right arm, torso, throat, left leg, and his left cheek. The peanut butter themed racer hissed in pain with each flicker his code made on his deeply inflicted wounds as he laid a foot or two from the deadly virus.

"And here I thought you would actually pose a threat this time." Garry laughed as he wiped the blood from his bottom lip with the back of his right hand. "Whatever gave me that _silly_ idea?"

Despite the pain he was in, Rancis slowly turned his head in the direction of Garry and noticed that the virus was dusting his hands off while slowly approaching him.

"You know what's so great about this situation?" Garry continued on in an arrogant tone as he held his hands out in front of him, his palms pointing directly at Rancis. "I didn't even give your friends the chance to say good bye before I wiped your _miserable_ code from this arcade's grid! But since they are all here, why not give them the chance now? You know what, I have an even better idea! Why don't you just join them? I do have room in my uploads for more!"

Continuing to approach the injured racer, a beam of iridescent pink and purple light flashing quickly before his vision stopped the virus in his tracks!

"Take one more step closer to him and I'll wipe _your_ code off the face of this arcade's grid!" Taffyta threatened as she wielded her sword before the virus once more, the long blade crawling with the racer's strawberry cream and ruler's purplish blue code combination. "I don't know how you were able to regenerate back into this game, but I guarantee you won't have that ability any longer!"

Gazing at the sword that was mere millimeters from his face, Garry's eyes followed the blade to the handle and eventually landed on the owner of the weapon as a grin appeared on his face.

"Like my new upgrade?" Taffyta voiced with a grin as she moved the tip of the blade closer to the virus's face. "It came with our new mini-game and I call it the Strawberry Slicer! Trust me when I say, it's been itching for a battle since I got it!"

"Very impressive, but not impressive enough!" Garry replied as he brought his hands into view, the palms and backs of his hands glowing with the codes of the racers he absorbed prior. "If you want to see what a real weapon looks like, allow me to demonstrate.

* * *

 _ **Ok, I owe you guys a huge apology for the wait of this chapter. I got offered a job in December and because it was close to my house, I took it. First was orientation, then the shadowing, and finally the actual work hours that I'm working at this moment in time. While I have full time hours, according to my supervisor, I'm still labeled part time and my full time hours will change in a month. Which I'm fine with lol. But just know, with the down time I have on my job, I will be typing out what chapter is due at that time once my schoolwork is done, you have my word! And the new Upgrade Mix-Up part II fanart is up on my DA Page! :)**_ _ **If nothing else,**_

 _ **Review Please!**_


	10. Secrets of the Syrupshots!

Chapter 10: Secrets of The Syrup Shots!

'Garry is determined to finish what he started while Vanellope and Tea have their hands full in Jawbreaker Cove! Will Taffyta and the Turbo Twins be able to turn things around?'

 **Chapter Inspiration: Force of Gravity by BT**

 _Previously_

Continuing to approach the injured racer, a beam of iridescent pink and purple light flashing quickly before his vision stopped the virus in his tracks!

"Take one more step closer to him and I'll wipe _your_ code off the face of this arcade's grid!" Taffyta threatened as she wielded her sword before the virus once more, the long blade crawling with the racer's strawberry cream and ruler's purplish blue code combination. "I don't know how you were able to regenerate back into this game, but I guarantee you won't have that ability any longer!"

Gazing at the sword that was mere millimeters from his face, Garry's eyes followed the blade to the handle and eventually landed on the owner of the weapon as a grin appeared on his face.

"Like my new upgrade?" Taffyta voiced with a grin as she moved the tip of the blade closer to the virus's face. "It came with our new mini-game and I call it the Strawberry Slicer! Trust me when I say, it's been itching for a battle since I got it!"

"Very impressive, but not impressive enough!" Garry replied as he brought his hands into view, the palms and backs of his hands glowing with the codes of the racers he absorbed prior. "If you want to see what a real weapon looks like, allow me to demonstrate.

 _Currently_

 **Hero's Duty**

"It's not me she's mad at!" Dan fussed as he and the other soldiers returned to the training area of the game, following behind Calhoun's lead. "You couldn't aim worth crap today!"

"YOU are the very reason she's upset!" Markowski fumed as he harshly shoved Dan to right. "You were not in formation the entire time we were out in the field! If you would have just-"

Markowski's thought was interrupted by Calhoun's booming voice speaking up as she whipped around to her army.

"Let me make _one_ thing clear right here, right now!" Calhoun fussed as she quickly approached her rag tag team of soldiers. "NONE of you were in formation out there which did not look good on our score card in this arcade! We were lucky enough to get the quarter alerts we received, but I have just ONE question! What were you doing out there any way?! It looked like a dance rehearsal and a _terrible_ one at that!"

"Putting a little style into our shooting." Frank confidently spoke up, which earned him a death glare from his sergeant. "You know, to shake things up..." The last part of his sentence trailed off into a low tone at the site of her death glare.

"Shake things up? SHAKE THINGS UP?!" Calhoun shouted as her men flinched at the sound of her sharp voice. "The only things that were shaking up out there were your empty heads! If I hadn't kept any of you in line, we weren't going to get another quarter alert for the rest of the day! That's what was shaking up out there and I am beyond disgusted with your performance! I can't stand looking at either of you right now! Dismissed!"

"I knew it was all of your fault!" Markowski continued fussing as he and Dan shoved each other back and forth as they and the other soldiers began walking in the opposite direction of the angry sergeant to the training room/shooting range.

Watching her soldiers walk away, Calhoun shook her head and turned back around to continue to her destination, which was her office. Reaching it, the blonde walked in and harshly closed the door behind her. Grabbing the back of the chair, the woman slumped into it after reaching her desk. Closing her eyes briefly, Calhoun just as quickly opened them and began to wonder if staying in that game was worth it. When considering her snap decision, the sergeant looked to all the factors that was making her consider if staying in that game was worth it. One, the game took exactly a dollar fifty to play which was a bit expensive for some players. Two, for a state of the art game, the initial program was not properly programmed for formal player instructions, but gave the basic instructions which was backwards for such a game. Three, her platoon was more like court jesters than soldiers, and lastly, the amount of quarter alerts that the game received each day was nowhere near what the other games in the arcade received, which was disheartening.

Turning her attention to the front of her and staring ahead to the picture on her wall, next to the one taken of herself and her prized gun, of her and Felix's wedding day, the sergeant began thinking about what Felix would say about her current situation.

 _"They may not be perfect hun, but are any of us players in this arcade perfect? All they need is a second chance and they'll get it in no time! Just be patient with them."_

The positivity of her husband never faltered or failed to give her the lift she needed most days, but that day didn't seem to be one of them.

"If only he knew the kind of empty headed morons that were in this platoon." Tamora mumbled to herself as she turned her attention away from her wedding picture. "They have as much direction as a broken boy scout compass!"

Sighing deeply through her nose, Tamora leaned back in her chair and turned her attention to the ceiling.

"I don't know if staying programmed in this game is worth it anymore." Tamora voiced as she placed her elbows on her desk and placed her chin on the tops of her connected hands. "There are plenty of games that I know I'd be good in. If my code was maybe programmed into..."

Tamora's thought was suddenly cut off by the surging feeling of her deep orange code racing through the stream avenues on her throat and nape of her neck. At that moment, in the game's code room, her code link that she shared with her husband, was activated. Sitting up straight up in her chair, the voice of her husband rang through her ears.

 _"Honey, we're going to need your help in Sugar Rush tomorrow."_ Felix's voice pleaded. _"Ralph and I have a bad feeling that something big is going to happen and we don't want Vanellope to lose her home! We know that you have the army and skills to help fight this battle! When you get this message, please send me a link code back!"_

The code that was streaming through her throat and nape of her neck suddenly died away as the sergeant gained a smirk at her husband's mention of her outstanding skill set as a sergeant. Not the army she is in charge of so much, but her skills alone. The confidence she began to lose for her game suddenly returned as she turned to the picture on her wall of her and her prized gun.

"You ain't just whistling dixie honey pot!" Tamora excitedly barked as she jumped up from her chair. Just as the sergeant began making her way to the door of her office, a few of her soldiers suddenly burst in, surprising the woman.

"Sarg listen, what happened out there, I will take _complete_ and _total_ fault for!" Frank began pleading. "I know that you weren't happy with us out there and-"

Frank's words were suddenly cut off by Tamora raising her right hand, which indicated to Frank to halt his thought.

"Hold that thought soldier." Tamora calmly stated, which gave Frank a look of confusion at her sudden switch in moods. "If you really want to prove to me what kind of soldier you are, then I've got a mission for you. Princess Vanellope seems to have a bit of a pest problem in her game and we're going over there to exterminate them. You want to shake things up with your shooting style? You'll have the perfect opportunity in Sugar Rush to do just that!"

"More cybugs?!" Frank panicked as the memories of the last extermination done of the viruses came to the forefront of his mind. "Didn't we do a perimeter check after clearing out the last batch that got in there?"

"From the code message my husband just sent, he didn't state what we were up against just yet, but I'm taking only the best and the brightest of you for this mission." Tamora stated. "You, Dave, Randy, and Mike. Round up as much ammo as you can because we're heading to Candy Land! The scopes, missile launchers, and the M4 Carbines with the silencers! Spread the word and head out! We don't have much time!"

Saluting to the blonde, Tamora saluted back to the soldier. Frank turned and ran out of her office with the sergeant heading back to her desk and grabbing her prized XM25 Counter defilade target engagement gun from underneath. She then cocked the gun as a wide smirk came to her face.

"It's party time!" Tamora expressed as she ran out of her office.

 **JawBreaker Cove**

Cindy and Tea continued their stare off while the princess-president continued trying to unglue her feet from the ground.

"So you couldn't take me on alone?" Cindy spat to Tea, who narrows her eyes at the cowgirl. "You had to bring _her_ with you?"

"I have a name you know!" Vanellope snapped as she continued trying to lift her right foot. "Just what did you hit me with anyway? This stuff feels like cement!"

"What are you doing here Cindy?" Tea sternly questioned as she took a step closer to the woman. "Vladimir couldn't do his own dirty work so he sent you to do it for him?!"

"I'm doing what you and Jimmy didn't have the _guts_ to do!" Cindy retorted with venom in her tone. "Stay loyal to the one who provided everything for you!"

"Vladimir doesn't deserve loyalty!" Tea snapped back. "He attacked this game just so he could have his put in its place, but if it weren't for Dacian, he would have gotten away with it! What disgusted me the most was how you and your brother were on the front lines of that fight with Garry! What were you thinking?! Dacian did nothing to any of you! He extended his hand to help all of us, but Vladimir had his own plans to do away with him!"

"Let's not forget my mother." Vanellope added in.

"Oh the so called _queen_ that couldn't even stay on her feet during the battle!" Cindy spat as she turned to Vanellope. Vanellope's code suddenly appeared on her hands as they balled into fists at Cindy's insult of her mother.

"You _better_ watch what you say about my mother!" Vanellope barked. "Incase you haven't noticed, she bred an heir that is ten times more powerful than the same person you _claim_ deserves loyalty! Even my father was a better ruler than he'll ever be!"

"If that's what gets you through the day _Schweetz_!" Cindy spat as she turned her attention back to Tea. "Now back to you! Why don't you do yourself a favor, come back to your senses, and return to the side you know you belong on because being with these rag tag team of losers isn't that side! You use to love the power Vladimir gave us, the invisibility that we as his players have! Don't you want that again?"

"I'd never go back to Vladimir!" Tea yelled as she swung her right arm dramatically. "Me nor Jimmy! He has all of you brainwashed into believing he is an all powerful and talented ruler when he is _NONE_ of those things! Cindy, you're better than this! You and Sydney! That power he gave us, that invisibility, that was all a façade! We can be deleted in his arcade just as any character can be! You are outside your game right now and if Vanellope chose to destroy you, who would Vladimir have to fall back on to fight his battles? Himself?! He doesn't have the guts to step from behind his shadows to do his own dirty work!"

 _"Already crossed my mind."_ Vanellope mentally stated as she kept her eyes on Cindy.

"You know what Tootsie, I've heard just about enough from you!" Cindy growled as she reached for her whip on her belt. Grabbing it out of the holster, she unrolled it as a high voltage stream of electricity ran the length of it. "Maybe this will help you come back to your senses and if it doesn't, it won't be a total loss!"

Harshly lashing the whip into the ground beside her, the electric current from the weapon created a crater next to the woman. The electric current within the crater then leaped up and began heading towards Tea. Standing her ground and preparing for what was going to be her fate, Vanellope tried harder to unstick her feet from the ground to save Tea from deletion. Seeing the voltage continuing to make it's way towards Tea, Vanellope's feet suddenly became unglued from the ground as, what can be felt by her as invisible hands, pushed her towards the green haired woman and knocked her out of the way just as the current reached the space she was standing. The current bounced from the ground and into the ceiling, knocking a few small jawbreakers loose in the ceiling. Shielding herself and Tea from the falling debris, the few jawbreakers fell around the girls.

Rolling onto her back, Vanellope looked around the area in confusion as to what helped unstick her feet from the ground when she couldn't get herself unstuck.

"What just happened?" Tea questioned as she turned to Vanellope.

"I don't know." Vanellope answered, still confused by what happened to her. "It felt like a pair of hands just pushed me. But how could I get unstuck that way when I couldn't get myself unstuck by moving?"

Before Tea could answer the royal, Tea pushed Vanellope out of the way as another current was sent in their direction. The current that missed them hit the wall of the cove and cracked several large jawbreakers' outer shells.

"Is this how you plan to fight me? Running at every turn?!" Cindy taunted. "Whatever happened to the Tea that fought like the warrior Vladimir trained you to be?"

"I'm no longer _that_ Tea!" Tea snapped as she got to her feet and caught her angry gaze with Cindy's. "Whomever Vladimir created is gone!"

"Then show me what you got, _oh_ _so_ new and improved Tea Tootsie!" Cindy challenged. "And don't hold back!"

"I don't intend to!" Tea snapped as she took a step towards Cindy, but was stopped by Vanellope.

"Why don't I show you what I got first!" Vanellope challenged as she balled up her fists tighter. "Just think of this as a hello from my _mother_!"

"Stay out of this Schweetz!" Cindy warned as her whip regained it's high voltage current. "This is between me and Tea!"

"Well you're in my game, so let's switch things up!" Vanellope retorted. "So now this is between you and I!"

With no words to share with the royal, Cindy lashed her whip beside her once more, creating another crater. Before the current could target the royal, Vanellope quickly glitch hopped towards Cindy and slammed right into her, knocking the wind right out of her chest! The whip dropped right out of her hand as Cindy fell backwards, her back harshly hitting the jawbreaker covered ground. Glitching back beside Tea, Vanellope kept her vision on where she knocked her opponent.

"How's that for new and improved?" Vanellope cracked.

"Way to go Vanellope!" Tea cheered.

"You're going to pay for that you candy coated pest!" Cindy declared as she struggled to prop herself up on her elbows as she panted. "You and that _traitor_!"

"And I have more of where that came from!" Vanellope confidently dared as she placed her hands on her hips. "I have my _mother's_ fighting style you know!"

In the ceiling of the cove, in what looked to be a small hideaway, sat an identical version of Cindy dressed in the exact same outfit as her, only male and in his right hand, he toggled a small data block. A grin spread across the man's face as he turned his attention to the fight below, once again seeing the woman being deflected by Vanellope.

"If you think my sister is a challenge Vanellope, you haven't seen anything yet!" The man spoke as his grin widened while tipping his hat up from over his deep brown eyes. "Just wait until you get a load of me in your system!"

 **Candy Kingdom**

A flash of light passed in front of his vision as Garry was thrown three feet from Taffyta and Rancis, landing roughly on his back.

"I think I just showed _you_ how it was done." Taffyta bragged as she lowered her sword to her side while keeping her ice blue eyes on her opponent. "How's that for impressive?"

"I underestimated you Muttonfudge." Garry chuckled as he climbed back to his feet and produced a sword of his own. His sword was larger and sharper than Taffyta's and glowed with the different color codes of the racers he absorbed, creating an bright aura around the weapon. Noticing the virus's sword, Taffyta kept her mind on the battle to keep from letting the size of his sword district her. "But this battle is far from over."

"Enough chit chat!" Taffyta demanded as she twisted her sword between her wrists only for it to twist back in the upright position she had it in previously. "Talk is cheap and I'm all sold out! Let's just get on with it!"

Accepting her challenge, Gary smirked as he swiftly lunged toward Taffyta with his sword wielded in front of him. As quickly as he lunged towards the strawberry themed racer, Taffyta was able to keep her eyes on his every move and blocked his attack with her own sword. Streams of data from both swords created a bright visible aura that casted a shadow on both of their determined faces, more so for Taffyta than her opponent.

"Impressed now?" Garry questioned as he mustered enough strength and began putting pressure on Taffyta's sword so she could lose control of her weapon first.

"Not even close!" Taffyta spat as she began adding her pressure against Garry's sword so the virus would be the first to lose his grip on his weapon. "You'd have to do _a lot_ more than this to impress me!"

"Oh really? Well then, it's a good thing I have more in store for you." Garry nonchalantly voiced. Mustering all of the strength within him, Garry forced his sword forward, which deflected Taffyta. Despite being deflected, the strawberry themed racer stood firmly on her feet, awaiting the next move the virus would make while keeping her sword in front of her.

Logs of data began streaming down Garry's eyes as Taffyta's name appeared in his vision. Highlighting her name, he quickly scanned through her code box's files and found a binary of data that was going to be an advantage to him in that situation.

"Like I said, I'm just warming up." Garry chuckled as he highlighted the data in his vision, causing the file to instantly corrupt. The racer immediately began feeling weak as the virus began draining her life from the health meter within her code box. Watching as the player began crumbling to the ground in front of him, Garry grinned, knowing then he had the upper hand in the fight.

"It looks like as if the life is being drained out of you." Garry taunted as he kept pulling her life meter down to zero. "I guess this fight was more than you could handle hm?"

Despite feeling as if gravity was pulling her down, Taffyta struggled to get to her feet while keeping her now blurred eyes attached to Garry.

"I don't know what's happening to me right now, but one thing is for sure." Taffyta choked while she continued to try to get to her feet. "I'm not going to let you try to destroy this game a second time! You can bet on it!"

"How can you guarantee anything if you can't stand on your own two feet dear?" Garry boasted as a dark grinned appeared on his face.

Continuing to feel the very life being sucked out of her, Taffyta tapped into her code box via her code link that was shared with Vanellope, but was immediately locked out of the information source!

"He somehow gained access to the code room!" Taffyta mumbled as she struggled to stand on her feet, but ultimately fell to her knees. Her sword was stuck in the ground in front of her as she tightly held on to the handle for support. "I have to find a way to block his access and permanently lock him out for good!"

"I guess it wouldn't help you to know that once Vanellope dealt me that faithful blow in the coderoom, my virus code was still active, thus keeping my connection to the game!" Garry stated hysterically as Taffyta kept her blurred, but angry vision on the virus. "So not only do I have total control of this game, I discovered a few new _abilities_ that I am dying to show off to you all!"

From the castle grounds, Jet, Minty, and Set looked on, unsure what their next move would be to help Taffyta and Rancis out of the sticky situation they were in.

"She's dying out there!" Jet panicked as he grabbed Minty by the shoulders from behind, causing the mint themed racer to tense up even more. "What are we going to do?!"

"What can we do?" Set calmly questioned as the trio continued to watch the losing battle between Taffyta and Garry. "We're new avatars in this game. We technically don't have any power except on the race tracks. Taffyta and Vanellope are the only players who has total access to every inch of this game."

"Well we have to do something!" Minty panicked as she witnessed Taffyta fall to the ground. "Once he's done with her, surely he'll come after us next!"

"Don't forget about Rancis out there." Jet chimed in, noticing the glitching racer laying not too far from where Garry stood. "He still has him to contend with and maybe then he'll come after us."

Set and Minty turned to the racer with confused bordering on angry looks on their faces due to his comment.

"SO not help right now!" Set and Minty both said in unison.

"What we need to do is come up with some sort of plan to distract him and lure him away from both players long enough for us to get them to safety." Set began pondering as he snapped his fingers. "As much as I hate to say it and as dangerous as it will be, someone one will have to be the bait to get his attention."

Minty looked to Set, who then turned to Jet. Jet looked behind him, but quickly looked to them both as he shook his head furiously.

"Oh no! No!" Jet refused. "There is _no_ way I am becoming his chew toy while you two try to come up with something that may or may not work! You would honestly send me out there Set? Your _only_ brother against something like that?"

"Jet, under normal circumstances, I would never ask you to do something like this." Set calmly explained as he gestured his hands as he spoke. "But if you think back, Garry took to you before he took me before we knew he was going after Vanellope. So maybe there is something you can do to get his attention so Minty and I can get those two to safety?"

"Set, look at Taffyta and Rancis out there!" Jet panicked as he gestured to the defeated racers. "Do you want me to be like them? Your only twin brother? For the love of user Set, we share identical codes!"

"Everyone knows that twins don't exactly have the same set of data." Set argued. "Whether it is codes like ours or genes in humans."

"I'm not doing it Set!" Jet refused. "As bad as that looks, I am not going to end up like them! I'm the only brother you've got!"

"Jet, it would only be long enough to get his attention!" Set loudly replied. "That is it! I'm not asking you to challenge him!"

"That's how he might take it!" Jet practically yelled back.

Garry, who can hear the two talking, practically yelling at one another a mile away, took his eyes off of Taffyta and Rancis and put his attention on the entrance of the castle. Seeing Jet and Set gesture back and forth at each other over their arguments, he rolled his eyes.

"Ok, whichever one of you is going to try to take me on next, would you hurry up and chose?" Garry quipped as he rolled his eyes once more. "I have more destruction to cause so any day now?"

Hearing that very sentence leave the virus's mouth, Minty felt her fear quickly change to anger as she turned to the virus. Catching visions with him, she narrowed her eyes in anger as her code began appearing on random areas of her body.

"I'll go." Minty spoke up, catching the twins' attention and halting their argument.

"You'll do what?" Set asked, making sure he heard the mint themed racer correctly.

"I said I'll go." Minty repeated herself as she looked between the two boys. "You wanted a distraction right? Well I know how to create one and more!"

"Minty, are you sure about this?" Jet questioned with a panicked undertone in his voice. "Look at what he did to Taffyta and Rancis, two of the best players in this game besides Vanellope. If he was able to take them down that easy, you'll surely have no chance against him!"

"You two keep thinking up a way to get us out of this and leave the rest to me." Minty sternly spoke as she turned away from them and began down the castle's walkway.

Seeing who decided to face him next, a twisted smirk appeared on the virus's face.

"And we have a winner." Garry sacastically voiced as Minty continued to make her way towards the three with a determined look on her face. "Not who I expected, but you'll do for now."

With what little energy she had left, Taffyta rolled onto her back and through blurred vision, caught sight of Minty approaching them. Her mind began screaming at her to tell the mint themed racer to turn back before she suffered the same fate her and Rancis did, but before the words could reach her mouth, she fell unconscious as her life meter reached zero...

 **Game Central Station**

The evil clones Chun-Li, Luigi, Yoshi, and Mario pushed their way through the arcade characters that frequented the halls of Game Central Station as they continued making their way to the outlet of Sugar Rush with the assistant in tow. Many of the disgruntled characters like Rosalina and Pacwoman gave the four clones evil glares and yells of disgrace for being rudely pushed aside by them.

"You could have asked nicely Mario!" Princess Peach yelled after her normal loving hero who harshly shoved her aside on his journey to Sugar Rush. Princess Rosalina helped the angry blonde to her feet and ushered her towards her game's outlet.

"She'll get over it!" Mario evilly chuckled as he and his gang finally reached the outlet of Sugar Rush. Grinning, the four began towards the entrance of the game's portal when the buffed surge protector appeared in front of them.

"Names?" The station's protection system requested from the four game characters.

"Don't bother surge, we'll take it from here." Sgt. Calhoun's voice could be heard from behind the surge protector into the portal of the game. Turning around, Surge noticed Ralph with his muscular arms folded, Felix weiding his golden hammer ready to strike at any moment, Tamora Calhoun holding her prized gun, the XM25 Counter Defilade Target Engagement Arsenal, ready to release a few rounds of ammunition when prompted and her army standing behind them. Looking between the two groups, Surge placed his pencil and notepad away.

Hearing the stern words of the sergeant and seeing who was backing her, the surge protector nodded and zipped away, not wanting to get in the middle of whatever war was going to stem from the two groups he stood between.

"Going somewhere?" Tamora questioned in an almost taunting voice to the four clones. "Because if you're thinking of passing beyond this point, think again! We've got the muscle here, the fixer here, my army behind us, and let's not forget my prized weapon that would blow your codes to smithereens in mere seconds! So I ask you once more, are you sure you want to pass beyond this point?"

Mario growled at the Sergeant's dare.

"And if I were you, I would think long and hard about what my next move would be because it could _very well_ be your last." Calhoun stated as she cocked her gun, revving up the ammunition.

"Now the orders are to wait for Vlad's signal." Vlad's assistant voiced as he got between the two riled groups. "We are not going to make a move until he says so."

"That depends on who you're asking pal!" Ralph firmly stated as he unfolded his arms and cracked his knuckles, which made the assistant flinch at the sight of the wrecker's large knuckles. "If they came for a fight, believe me, they are going to get one!"

 **JawBreaker Cove**

Tea and Vanellope's backs harshly landed on the ground behind them as Cindy lashed her whip swiftly to the ground beside her. Looking on to her opponents, a twisted smirk curled on the cowgirl's lips as her whip's violent current ran through the royal and rebel.

"And here I thought you two would actually pose a challenge to me." Cindy taunted as Tea and Vanellope struggled to prop themselves up on their elbows. "This is too easy!"

"You just caught me off guard." Vanellope voiced as she got herself into seating position. "I guarantee that _won't_ happen again!"

"If you're next move is anything like your last, I guarantee you _will_ regret them!" Cindy expressed.

Looking to Tea, Vanellope noticed that the violent current of Cindy's whip more than weakened her, but caused her code to begin wigging out throughout her system. Flashing back to her time in Tron Legacy when she lost half of her life bar to her opponent and with Tea being outside of her game, the royal didn't know if Tea could honestly continue on. Considering there wasn't a life bar to indicate how much strength she had left, she had to guess the code wig was her nearing her end in Sugar Rush!

"Tea, are you ok?" Vanellope called out to her ally as Tea rolled onto her back.

"I don't think I can go on Vanellope." Tea weakly stated as her code's wigging increased, causing the girl to begin to look like a mess of data from the waist down. "I'm losing strength. I'm outside of my game, which means no regeneration if I take any more hits like the one I endured."

"Tea, you have to get up!" Vanellope urged as she crawled over to the girl, despite how weak she felt. "We can't let her get the best of us! This is my game and I refuse to let any of Vlad's _flunkies_ take it away from me! We have to find my father's data so we can stabilize this game's memory once more!"

"I don't know how much more I can take from Cindy." Tea weakly continued, which caused the cowgirl to smirk, knowing she had the upper hand in that battle. "My data is turning into binary streams, which means it won't be long."

Grabbing the girl's hand, Vanellope tried to summon some of her code to help her fallen comrade, but felt the summoning failing due to the many beatings she took from Cindy that weakened her.

"Tea, you have to hang in there." Vanellope quietly stated as Tea turned to look at the royal, their visions catching. "I need you."

"Ok, enough with the water works!" A male voice sarcastically voiced in front of the girls. Turning to the owner of the voice, Vanellope's hazel eyes widened at the sight of the male while Cindy narrowed her eyes at the sight of her brother.

"Sydney, you said I could handle this while you hung onto the block!" Cindy barked to her older by five minutes brother. "That was our deal and you can't go back on it now!"

"Yea well, I couldn't continue to sit back and let this game of tug of war continue so I'm changing things up a bit." Sydney arrogantly voiced as he kept his vision on Vanellope and Tea. "New rules Schweetz, if you want this data block, you're going to have to get through me to get it!"

* * *

 _ **Oh my goodness you guys, since March things have been nuts for me which would explain this very late update! I currently switched jobs and I recently celebrated my one year wedding anniversary! But you can read all about it on my profile! See you next update!**_

 _ **Review Please!**_


	11. Secrets of the Syrupshots II

Chapter 11: Secret of the Syrupshots II!

'A new competitor has joined the fight with Vanellope and Tea, Sydney Syrupshot, Cindy's slightly older brother! Will he prove to be a challenge for the royal and her ally much like his sister or will he be a total game changer?'

 **Chapter Inspiration: Glow of The Night/Domino Part I by Genesis**

 _Previously_

"Ok, enough with the water works!" A male voice sarcastically voiced in front of the girls. Turning to the owner of the voice, Vanellope's hazel eyes widened at the sight of the male while Cindy narrowed her eyes at the sight of her brother.

"Sydney, you said I could handle this while you hung onto the block!" Cindy barked to her older by five minutes brother. "That was our deal and you can't go back on it now!"

"Yea well, I couldn't continue to sit back and let this game of tug of war continue so I'm changing things up a bit." Sydney arrogantly voiced as he kept his vision on Vanellope and Tea. "New rules Schweetz, if you want this data block, you're going to have to get through me to get it!"

 _Currently_

 **Tron Legacy (Hallway to Vlad's office)**

"Ouch! What is with girls and their nails?" Gloyd whined as he continued to be strong armed by Daisy to Vlad's office. "Yours are like ginsu knives and I think one of them just sunk _through_ my skin!"

Daisy continued ushering the pumpkin themed racer towards the dictator's office without a word of reply to what Gloyd had to say.

"You know, you don't have to listen to what Vlad is telling you." Gloyd continued as he stood up just a bit to straighten his back, feeling a spasm come on from being bent over for so long. "Considering you're a clone, you have a mind of your own and not like the original Daisy. I'm pretty sure she would _never_ listen to a word he has to say!"

The clone of the princess kept quiet and continued walking the boy to the office which they were very close to.

"Daisy, listen to me!" Gloyd loudly voiced as he stopped walking, which made the clone stop as well. Wrestling his arms free from the clone's tight grip, Gloyd turned to face the emotionless clone princess as her dead gaze caught with his concerned chocolate brown eyes. "Vlad is not the guy you think he is! He is only using you and the other clones because he is too much of a coward to do any of his own dirty work! Do you want to know what happens if you don't do exactly what he says? He'll dispose of you like he'll do the others!"

"Vlad would never do that to us!" Daisy dared to argue with the chocolate haired boy. "He trusts us, especially me to dispose of traitors like you! Sugar Rush must be destroyed!"

"And what would destroying my home do?" Gloyd questioned as he gestured his hands outward. "Vlad had an issue with Vanellope's father that we're all trying to figure out, but I _bet_ one cotton candy cloud in my game that it was all due to power! He wanted the power Dacian had, but because he couldn't get it, he did what he knew best, destroy him! Do you know how much that bothered my best friend? Sure she was a kid when it happened and that set off a domino effect of other things, but she doesn't have her dad because of him!"

Gripping the clone princess by the shoulder's, his upset/worried vision caught with her lifeless eyes.

"Look into my eyes and tell me that you _truthfully_ trust that snake!" Gloyd urged.

Looking into the boy's eyes, the clone princess's emotionless blue orbs gained a speckle of a shine, one that was not there before.

"You maybe a clone, but trust me when I say you're not a pawn of Vlad's!" Gloyd continued as he lightly loosened his grip on clone Daisy shoulders while continuing to trying to reason with her. "You can overpower him! I know you can and you can join the good guys, my friends and I, in stopping the war Vlad is plotting against my home as we speak. For user's sake, he's going after one of his own players! What kind of leader does that to someone they claim as their own?"

"Garry Gumball." The clone spoke with a clear tone similar to the real Princess Daisy. "Garry Gumball was blamed for the rebellion against Sugar Rush and Vernonica was there. She was coding life when the rebellion began along with the King."

"Veronica?" Gloyd questioned to himself as he turned away from Daisy's gaze to let what she stated just then sink in. "Veronica was coding life and the king was there."

Gloyd's eyes widened as he quickly turned back to Daisy's gaze, knowing then who she was referring to.

"You met Vanellope's mother and father?" Gloyd questioned with a spark of hope in his tone. "So you know Vlad was behind the entire battle?"

"Yes he was." Clone Daisy voiced as her blue orbs continued sparkling with growing life. "But he blamed the rebellion on Garry so nothing can come back to him. He wanted Sugar Rush removed from the Disney Land Arcade so his game could reign supreme. Once my and his game were moved here, he began plotting to have Sugar Rush removed once more."

"You have the original memories from the real Princess Daisy!" Gloyd happily exclaimed. "And Taffyta said watching those doppleganger movies were a waste of time. Ok, can you tell me anything else?"

"Vlad tried to kidnap Veronica, but she refused to be taken as a hostage and had some killer fighting moves!" Clone Daisy spoke with a bit more excitement in her tone, her eyes now filled with blue sparkling life of the original princess. "Of all the royalty I've ever met, she was the first I knew of that did not let her husband do all of the fighting."

"Ok, you've said just enough!" Gloyd happily stated as he released Daisy's shoulders. "This might be a risky move, but I need you to help me bust out of here and get back to Sugar Rush! A doppleganger is just as good as the original and maybe you can grab the original Daisy and come up with some kind of plan to get out of here! You can even grab your other princess friends! I refuse to let some wanna be ruler try to take the place of one of the best games in the arcade, my game!"

"I will help you." Clone Daisy stated with a nod. "We can even release the others who are locked up in the dungeon."

"All you have to do is lead the way!" Gloyd happily stated as he grabbed the clone's right hand to begin away from Vlad's office and back towards the holding cell area.

"Going somewhere are we?" Vlad's eerie voice spoke from the darkness of the hallway, his physical image appearing soon after the echoing of his voice. "You don't think Daisy here was going to help a _hapless little worm_ like you do you?"

Turning his sharp ocean blue eyes to the clone, the life that were in her eyes quickly disappeared, returning to the emotionless and cold state they were before Gloyd broke through to her.

"Daisy has a mind of her own, even if she is just a clone of the original!" Gloyd snapped as he felt Daisy's hand slip from his grip. "She even knows you were behind the rebellion, but you were too much of a _coward_ to admit it!"

"Yes, I am aware that a clone has the memories of the original version all too well." Vlad replies with an arrogant chuckle. "Even the strength of her if you would like to continue debating this."

"She only has her strength because-" Gloyd began, but was abruptly cut off by Clone Daisy tightly latching her right hand around this throat while forcibly pushing Gloyd's back against the metal wall! Her angry and emotionless gaze caught with his surprised vision. Gripping onto the clone princess's wrist with both hands, Gloyd began trying to pry her death grip from his neck before he ran out of air!

"As I stated before, don't you just love Daisy?" Vlad laughed. "That's why she's my right-hand woman. Daisy, my dear, you know what to do with him."

"Yes boss." Clone Daisy flatly stated as she tightened her grip on Gloyd's throat.

"I got through to you once Daisy and I plan to do it again!" Gloyd mentally exclaimed as he continued to try to pry the woman's death grip from his throat. "No matter how long it takes! Vlad has no control over you!"

 **Jawbreaker Cove**

With Tea's code changing to streams of binary, she and Vanellope were faced with the most challenging of the two siblings, Sydney Syrupshot! In their dire situation, Vanellope refused to admit defeat from Cindy and was certainly not going to do it with the new challenger! She had the Candy Code, which trumped most game character's code in the arcade!

"Sydney, go back to your stoop in the ceiling!" Cindy raved to her bother, who kept his back to her and his vision on his opponents in front of him. "I said if I needed you, I would let you know! Did you hear me call you?!"

"Well _Sis_ , I couldn't continue to sit back and let this game of tag continue!" Sydney stated as he turned to his sister. "This fight was more about words than actual fighting. You did handle your whip well, that I will admit, but everything else was dragging on _way too long_! I got bored so I stepped in."

"If you were watching from where you were, you saw I had everything under control!" Cindy barked back. "Now get _out_ of here and let me finish them off! You agreed that I could take this fight and that's exactly what I'm going to do!"

"Typical sibling rivalry." Vanellope quipped with a small smirk as she turned to Tea and noticed that the girl had her eyes closed. A pang of worry stung her heart as she watched her ally's code continue to break down into streams of binary. With her eyes focused on Tea, a memory from the royal's past flashed through her mind concerning what her father stated about the code she possessed.

 **Flashback**

 _Another racing day had come and gone for Sugar Rush with its citizens winding down after a long racing day. After winning yet another successful race, the king returned to the castle and climbed the winding staircase that lead to his daughter's room to see her off to sleep. That has become routine for him since the sudden passing of the queen._

 _Dacian just finished telling Vanellope another bedtime story about her Candy Code legacy, one that she never tires of hearing about. The young girl sat in his lap as he continued rocking her to sleep in the rocking chair that sat by her balcony doors in her bedroom._

 _"Now Vanellope, the code you possess has the ability to heal you as well as others around you." King Dacian gently stated to his young daughter as she cuddled up close to his chest so she could fall asleep. "But you have to be careful when healing others as you don't want to drain yourself in the process."_

 _The young girl sighed as she began picking at the buttons on her father's racing outfit. They shined brightly like gold coins, which always caught the girl's attention when her father sent her off to bed with a story about her family's legacy._

 _"Did you try using your code to heal mommy?" The young princess questioned, which caught her father by surprise. Closing his eyes and releasing a sigh, the king turned to his daughter and kissed her on the forehead through her bangs. Due to the queen passing away so suddenly, Dacian knew at every turn Vanellope would ask as many questions as she could about her._

 _"I did try, but unfortunately, her condition was far worse than I thought to heal her." Dacian stated with a shaky, but kind tone as he tried to push the fresh images of his dying wife out of his mind. "I did everything I could and no matter how much I tried, it just didn't work. I almost drained myself in the process, but it would have been worth it for her."_

 _Thankfully during that trying time, Sour Bill was at the castle with the young girl while her father contended to his gravely ill wife at the urgent care center in the Disney Land Arcade. However, going back home to give his young daughter the inevitable news was not going to be easy._

 _"Well mommy knows you at least tried." The young princess smiled up to her father as he returned the smile to her. "She's happy knowing that."_

 _"Yes she is Vanellope." The king stated as he turned to the ceiling in the royal's bedroom to fight back the tears that were threatening to fall. "Yes she is."_

 **End of Flashback**

 _"_ It may not have worked with mom, but I can at least try with you Tea." Vanellope voiced as she gripped both of the girl's hands and closed her eyes.

Concentrating hard on her core, colorful streams of binary began running throughout Vanellope's system, breaking her own code down into streams of colorful binary. Before long, the royal's entire body glowed with an aura of every candy-coated color in her game! The aura then wore off of Vanellope, but was transferred to Tea's streaming form.

"This has got to work!" Vanellope mentally voiced as she continued to concentrate her energy to Tea. "Please work!"

The colorful aura completely engulfed Tea and began healing her binary strand by binary strand. Noticing that her code transfer was healing Tea, a small smile made its way onto Vanellope's face. Despite feeling a taste weak, the royal continued to ensure her ally would be healed enough to continue their battle.

"This isn't fair Sydney!" Cindy continued to fuss as her twin brother tossed her the data block with her catching it. " _You_ were supposed to hold onto this if something were to happen to me during this fight! Since _nothing_ did, take it back and get out of _here_!"

"That was original deal, but since you're still standing, then I will take your place!" Sydney snidely replied back. "Besides, I've always wanted a piece of daddy's princess and I'm finally going to have it!"

From her head to her toes, the colorful aura disappeared from around the ally, revealing a healed Tea, the girl's eyes opening fully as she turned to Vanellope. Vanellope returned the smile, seeing that her code transfer was a success!

"Vanellope?" Tea spoke as Vanellope helped the slightly weakened girl into the seating position. "What happened?"

"You were almost a goner." Vanellope replied as she helped Tea to her feet, despite feeling a tad weak from transferring her code. "That's what happened, but thankfully the code transfer worked!"

"Code transfer?" Tea questioned in confusion as she fixed her hair and dusted off her dress. "What code transfer?"

"Ok, I would explain it to you, but that would take more time than we have right now." Vanellope stated with urgency as she slightly glitched. "Right now, we have two siblings to take down and get that block of data back so we can revive my dad. Are you up to the task?"

With a sharp nod, a smirk crossed Tea's face.

"I'll proudly fight alongside you!" Tea confidently stated.

"That trick you did with Surg in the station." Vanellope began as she huddled close to Tea. "Do you think you can do that with either of these two cotton candy brains?"

Looking to the bickering twins, Sydney's back completely to Vanellope and Tea, Tea's smirk widened.

"Piece of cake!" Tea exclaimed. "The one thing to remember about these two, together they are strong, but when they fight like that, they are at their weakest."

Gaining a smirk, Vanellope slightly popped her neck.

"So that's the secret of the syrupshots." Vanellope smirked wider as she and Tea continued watching the two bicker over who was going to finish the battle that began. "United they stand, divided they split like a jawbreaker. That's all I needed to know."

 **Candy Kingdom (Walk Way)**

Jet and Set watched on in horror as the mint themed racer continued down the walkway and possibly toward her demise at the hands of the deadliest virus in all of the arcade. Raising his hands, Garry darkly smirked as he turned the back of them to Minty so she can get a clear view of the colorful streams of binary that raced along the avenues of his hands and wrists that belonged to the other racers he absorbed in the game.

"Trust me when I say, I _always_ have room for more." Garry voiced as Minty continued to near him. "You are free to say hello to your friends at any time, _especially_ when you join them!"

Unphased by his words, Minty continued her path towards Garry, her angry narrowed eyes still locked onto him.

"She can't do this alone! We can't let her do this alone!" Set panicked as he began after Minty, but was stopped by his brother. "Minty!"

"Set, if you go out there, you'll be a goner too!" Jet expressed as he pulled his brother back. "She sounds like she knows what she's doing!"

"We can't let her do this Jet!" Set stated as turned to his brother with urgency in his eyes. "You see what happened to Taffyta and Rancis! The same thing could happen to her!"

"Oh, but you were willing to send me out there to distract him just moments ago!" Jet retorted as a slight tremor struck that caused the ground below everyone to shake.

"Yet, we deviate from the point!" Set argued back. "If you haven't noticed, every racer in this game, outside of Vanellope, is either data he absorbed or down for the count like Taffyta and Rancis! If she goes down too, we're all done for!"

"Then we will be left to run the game." Jet stated as his vision drifted off to the sky above them. "We'll be the new rulers and can do whatever we want! Sugar Rush will be ours! New order of business, change the code room's access code!"

"Hey! Sugar Rush to Jet! Vanellope is still alive!" Set corrected his brother as he brought him back to the game's grid with the snap of his fingers. "All we have to do now is keep the remaining racers alive starting with ourselves, Minty, and what's left of Rancis and Taffyta."

"But how are we going to do that without becoming targets ourselves?" Jet inquired as he and Set looked back to where Minty walked.

"That's a good question Jet." Set voiced as he kept his eyes on Minty. "That's a good question."

Approaching the deadly virus, whose dark smirk widened, Minty stopped a foot from Garry, but made sure her back was to Taffyta.

"As a gentleman, I will allow the lady to go first." Garry stated as he placed his hands at his sides, but not before gesturing to Minty. "Hopefully you'll pose more of a challenge for me than these two did!"

Through blurred vision, Rancis caught sight of Minty, but could not voice the words to tell her to turn back. Feeling a sharp pain shoot through his head, Rancis closed his eyes and turned his head to the right, away from Minty and Garry.

"Well then." Minty simply stated as a dark smirk appeared on her face. "If that's what you want."

In the code vault, a cable sprouted from the top of Vanellope's code box and began lengthening out. Bypassing Adorabeezle, Jubileena, Gloyd, and Candlehead's code boxes, the cable located and immediately linked to the top of Minty's code box. From the top of her box, a cable sprouted and linked up to the weakened anti-virus code box, sparking a bit of life into it to proceed with the next phase. With her smirk remaining and eyelids lowering, streams of data began scrolling down the mint themed racer's hazel orbs. Locating Garry's virus data, the string of code was highlighted red and immediately disabled! The codes of the racers that he absorbed that zipped along the avenues of his hands and wrists instantly vanished, weakening the virus to half of the power he felt.

Feeling the fade in his strength, Garry looked to his hands, front and back, to notice that the racer's codes he once held were no longer in his possession. Shooting his attention to Minty, the smirk on the virus's face was changed to a scowl.

"What did you just do?!" Garry growled.

"I took the first step to taking you down for good!" Minty retorted.

* * *

 _ **Oh my goodness! I can't apologize enough for how long it took for this chapter to come out. Life, the pursuit of everything in it, writer's haze, and being too tired to write is what caused the delay. None the less, I hope you all enjoyed and will stay tuned for the upcoming battles in the next chapter: The Secrets of Minty Zaki!**_

 _ **Read and Review Please!**_


	12. Secrets of Code Upgrades!

**Chapter 12: Secrets of Code Upgrades!**

'Everyone has a battle to face, but the question is which will prevail? Good or Evil? And the King's code box has been a bit too active lately…"

 **Chapter Inspiration: Crash 2.0 by Dallas K vs The Adventure Club**

 _Previously_

In the code vault, a cable sprouted from the top of Vanellope's code box and began lengthening out. Bypassing Adorabeezle, Jubileena, Gloyd, and Candlehead's code boxes, the cable located and immediately linked to the top of Minty's code box. From the top of her box, a cable sprouted and linked up to the weakened anti-virus code box, sparking a bit of life into it to proceed with the next phase. With her smirk remaining and eyelids lowering, streams of data began scrolling down the mint themed racer's hazel orbs. Locating Garry's virus data, the string of code was highlighted red and immediately disabled! The codes of the racers that he absorbed that zipped along the avenues of his hands and wrists instantly vanished, weakening the virus to half of the power he felt.

Feeling the fade in his strength, Garry looked to his hands, front and back, to notice that the racer's codes he once held were no longer in his possession. Shooting his attention to Minty, the smirk on the virus's face was changed to a scowl.

"What did you just do?!" Garry growled.

"I took the first step to taking you down for good!" Minty retorted.

 _Currently_

The code block that Vanellope was able to retrieve from Jimmy in Tron legacy was transferred to the ruler's code box for safe keeping. However, the block's data was broken down into streams of binary and with the King's box attached to Vanellope's via data cable, the streams of binary were transferred to the king's code box, providing it with a bit more life than what it had previously. With each strand of binary that was transferred, the life and light within the box got brighter and brighter, which caused another wire to sprout from the top, but it did not extend further than the length it grew.

The tip of the wire glowed an iridescent rainbow color that shot streams of the binary code of the block out into the zero-gravity space. The streams hung in suspended animation in the space as more were emitted from the wire. The wire then halted as all of the block's binary streams was completely emitted from the wire. Coming out of their suspended state, the streams of binary began connecting like Lego blocks, clinging to another to make a formation with the first being a gold crown to fully form. The formation began defining itself more as the outline of the body of a cybug, it's wings, limbs, and tail sprigs were clearly evident. Following the outline of the body and limbs, the outline of the rest of the being began to define as the wire that spawned the data hung mere millimeters underneath the continued formation. The wings were next to fill in and quickly spread as iridescent drops of salmon, gold, and white splayed from the tips of the wings as if they were being cleared of rain water. The bowtie was next to fully form along with the head, spring like neck, and the distinct facial features of the creature, the eyes and mouth remaining closed as the rest of the bug came into fruitation.

After the complete formation of the upper body of the cybug, the formation of the right claw and cuff fully formed as the dark salmon color filled in the limb, the claw clinching tightly into a fist as the right eye finally opened...

 **Tron Legacy**

Trying to fight off the princess's death grip around his wrists once more as the two finally approached Vlad's office, Gloyd and Daisy approached the door to the dismal dungeon as Gloyd did his best to turn away from the door. Ensuring that her grip remained tight around the boy's wrists, Daisy opened the door to the dictator's office and slung Gloyd inside, the boy spilling to the floor from being thrown in so harshly!

"Vlad will be paying you a visit _after_ the last disc battle has ended!" Daisy voiced to Gloyd as he turned to face her. "It was nice knowing you and Sugar Rush!"

Before Gloyd could open his mouth to speak, the door to Vlad's office was slammed behind the clone and in the boy's face. Releasing a sigh and quickly sitting up into the seating position, Gloyd released another sigh, the biggest that he could muster, as he began looking around the office.

"Out of every place that I've been in this arcade, I'd never thought I'd end up in this game." Gloyd spoke as he climbed to his feet while quickly placing his right hand on his right hip, the area of his body emanating from pain of being thrown to the cold hard floor of the office. "Hip becoming a problem, hip becoming a problem."

Quickly finding Vlad's chair, Gloyd limped over to it and lazily sat in it, his eyes then falling to the many monitors in front of him. On one monitor, there was a view of Game Central Station. On another monitor was the disc battle bridge where Vlad was seated as he watched a disc battle already in progress. On another monitor, there was a clear view right into Sugar Rush, this view making the boy's eye widen knowing now how Vlad was easily able to apprehend him and Garry having easy access to the game. The monitor changed from race tracks, to the inside of Vanellope's castle, to the garage/warehouse where the karts are kept, to the front of the castle where Minty and Garry could be seen facing off with each other.

"So this is how he did it." Gloyd spoke as he kept his eyes glued to the camera that gave different views of Sugar Rush. "Gotta give it to you Vlad, I underestimated you. You are one smart jaw breaker."

Getting to his feet as the monitor that gave the view of Sugar Rush becoming his main focus, Gloyd placed his hands down on the dashboard as he got a better look at the monitor that consistently shifted images. Shifting his left hand just slightly, a small picture fell on top of his hand which caught his attention. Looking down to his hand, Gloyd picked up the picture and noticed that the picture was of Veronica Von Schweetz! In the picture, the queen was looking over the balcony at the setting sun without the king while holding her enlarged belly. Smirking Gloyd, nodded at the picture. His attention was quickly diverted as his code appeared on his hand, which made the picture ripple, but not alter. Grinning, Gloyd set the picture back on the console.

The code on his hand glitched once more as his hand came in contact with the dashboard. The frequency the monitors were on were suddenly disrupted, which caused the screens to flicker horribly and even turn to snow on some screens. Confused by the monitors' sudden change in view, Gloyd looked to his hand to notice that his code was wigging out up and down his left arm. One monitor that displayed snow suddenly came in clear with the view of Vlad speaking with another character in the dark corner of Game Central Station. Getting a better view of that area, Gloyd recognized that corner to be at the main power outlet that connected all of the games together on the spacebar. With his eyes glued to the monitor, what Gloyd heard next made the boy's mouth drop open!

"Are you ready for tonight's raid on Tron?" The character, who wore a red and white racing suit, red boots, a helmet to match, and whose yellow eyes glowed with deviance, questioned Vlad as the villain grinned and displayed his sword to the character.

"As if you have to ask Turbo." Vlad replied back as he brought his sword into view. "That waste of data won't even know what hit him and once he's gone, that game will be all mine to rule! I dare for anyone to try and get in my way! They will be deleted on the spot!"

"As my thoughts are about Sugar Rush." Turbo stated as he looked off in the distance as if he could see the game's outlet from where the two stood. "I know it's _itching_ for a new ruler, which means its time to make a new name for myself after that road blaster's incident!"

"Looks like we both have our work cut out for us huh?" Vlad laughed as Turbo joined in.

The video played back once more as Gloyd gained a grin, now knowing that Vlad was outside of his original game and that he, like Turbo, infiltrated a game that belonged to another ruler. To the pumpkin themed player, the leverage that he just gained from that video was more than he could ask for!

"But not smart enough for my code apparently." Gloyd voiced as his code splayed over the control panel, lighting it up in the dismal room. "Number one rule of the arcade: If you die outside of your game, you don't regenerate! Now let's see if you're smart enough to figure that out because after all, Tron is not _your_ game to begin with!"

Looking over the controls, several buttons gained the boy's attention as a wide smile made its way onto his face.

"Gee, I wonder what these buttons do!" Gloyd playfully spoke as he eyed a bluish red button right next to his left hand.

Outside of the office, the Daisy clone became still as her data quickly fell apart, the tiny blocks of binary falling to the ground and disappearing upon collision with the cold steel floor. One down with so many left to go!

 **Disc Battle Bridge**

The brightly lit blue disc bounced off the right wall and hurled towards it's target. Without a moment to react, the player was then sliced in half as his data was broken down into tiny binary blocks, disappearing as each tiny piece of data hit the floor below. With the first player down, the buzzer sounded indicating who the winner of the disc battle was! The second player fell to his knees, feeling all of the wind in his chest literally escape with just one sigh!

"And that is time!" Vlad loudly voiced as he got to his feet. "And the winner is, one of our very own Tron Legacy players! For putting in as much effort that you did with your battle, your reward will be..."

Vlad's thought was suddenly interrupted as one of the guards ran to his side.

"Sir, we have a problem." The guard voiced, it trembling with fear at the news he had to deliver. "The alarm sounded, the prisoners are gone, and your office door is locked."

"The prisoners are gone? My office door locked? What do you mean by any of that?!" Vlad voiced with annoyance. He then remembered who was in his office and what could be behind the release of the prisoners in the dungeon. With wide eyes, the dictator tightly closed his hands into fists, clenching them tightly as his eyes narrowed into angry slants.

"That _little_ trouble maker!" Vlad hissed through clenched teeth. "He's behind all of _this!_ "

"Who?" The guard cautiously questioned.

"That little _runt_ from Sugar Rush!" Vlad replied, his tone louder than before. "The one with the pumpkin hat that was brought in recently! He's doing all of this and ruining _everything_ I worked hard to gained!"

"Not to question your choices sir, but why did you put him in your office? That's the main control room to the game." The guard expressed as an angry Vlad faced the guard.

"You are doing JUST that!" Vlad spoke with extreme annoyance as his temper bubbled to the surface. "No one questions my motives! No one! Not even you! Now make yourself useful, grab the other guards, and find that parasite! He must be deleted at once!"

Saluting to Vlad, the guard turned and took off into the main halls of the game to find Gloyd. The alarm that sounded in the main part of the game then entered the disc battle area, causing everyone to cover their ears, even Vlad, at the extreme ringing.

"Very good move to have the sound of the alarm delayed from entering this part of the game!" Vlad lightly chuckled as he kept his ears covered. "I just need to find the user's manual to turn the blasted thing down!"

 **Vlad's Office**

With his code still wigging out on his arm, Gloyd continued pressing buttons on the dashboard randomly as more chaos erupted around the game. With the monitors back on their original frequency before the pumpkin themed racer's code changed them, the one monitor that looked into the dungeon's area displayed the prisoners' cells were open and empty. The grin widened on the boy's face at seeing this.

"I knew there more to that game's upgrade than Vanellope let on!" Gloyd happily stated as he rested his hands on the dashboard, having completed the first part of his mischief in Tron. "When I see her again, I have to let her know about this. My code couldn't be more awesome and useful right now!"

Before the boy could continue thinking of the next phase of mischief, a loud banging suddenly occurred at the door, which got his attention. The banging occurred once more, the banging sounding as if someone was trying to break the door down!

"And that is my cue!" Gloyd stated as he looked to the ceiling for his escape. However, his movements were halted as his wigging code quickly traveled to every part of his body, which made the boy blend in with the dismal background of the office. Quickly looking himself over, a wide smile covered the boy's face as another one of his hidden abilities surfaced. "In more ways than one! First the pumpkin trick when facing off with Garry and now this!"

The last hard bang to the door knocked the door wide open and nearly off the hinges! Three of the largest guards in the game stormed into the room and scanned the room for the one behind the chaos breaking out all over Tron.

"Vlad said he was in here, but I don't see anyone!" The first guard spoke.

"I don't either!" The second guard stated as he stormed over to the controls and eyed each monitor for any signs of Gloyd having escaped back into his game or Game Central Station. "I don't see anything on the monitors at all."

"He's still in here and couldn't have gotten away without someone spotting him!" The first guard angrily stated as an explosion sounded off in the distance. "We are going to search every inch of this game until that gamer is found! You two take the second and third halls while I search the main one! Once he's found, he gets deleted on sight!"

"Yes sir!" The second and third guard agreed with the first.

With their assignments, the three guards stormed out of the room. "Reappearing" from the background, Gloyd lightly chuckled from hearing the guards' conversation.

"To the contrary, you'd have to catch me first!" Gloyd stated as he looked to the ceiling. "Every game has a backdoor and I know just where to find the one in here thanks to this good ol' code of mine!"

Hoping onto the dictator's chair and quickly balling his right hand into a fist, Gloyd punched a tile out of the ceiling and quickly climbed up into the duct. Looking ahead of him as well as behind him, Gloyd released a sigh.

"My escape back into Sugar Rush, here I come." Gloyd stated as he began crawling north through the seemingly spotless air duct. "Code don't fail me now!"

 **Game Central Station**

Having the Chinese martial artist in a body lock, Tamora was able to body slam the female street fighter with ease! Quickly getting back to her feet, Chun-Li positioned herself on her hands so that her body was in a headstand position. With her legs in the air, the chinese warrior split them in opposite directions as she began her signature fighting move, the spinning bird kick!

"Is that all you got rookie?" Tamora taunted as she positioned her wrists crisscrossed in front of her and blocked the warrior's moves. Avoiding the last kick, Tamora crouched down and swiftly slid her right leg towards Chun-Li, knocking her out of her hand stand position. The female fighter fell on her back rather harshly as Tamora got to her feet.

"Now show me what you're really working with!" Tamora challenged as Chun-Li got to her feet. "Being from street fighter, I know you have more moves than that! I know Ryu and Ken, I know they taught you a thing or two!"

"You don't know what you just asked for!" Chun-Li darkly expressed as she got to her feet.

"Oh I think I did and I'm calling you out!" Tamora continued as she positioned her hands in front of her, ready for hand to hand combat with the fighter. "You mess with my friends, you mess with me!"

Grinning, Chun-Li charged towards Tamora and began delivering a combo of kicks and punches at the sergeant with her blocking each one. Catching the woman's right wrist, Tamora grinned, but her victory was short lived when she was easily lifted over the warrior's head and body slammed by the player. Shaking the shock off, Tamora quickly got back to her feet and delivered an upper cut to Chun-Li, knocking the woman to the ground.

"You're a feisty one." Tamora half-heartedly complimented the warrior. "Now this what I call a fight!"

"You don't know just _how_ feisty I am!" Chun-Li stated as she got back to her feet while wiping the blood from her busted lip away. "But you're about to find out the same way Bison did!"

"Ladies, we were supposed to wait until Vlad gave the signal!" The assistant stressed in a panic as the two re-engaged in their battle. "I haven't heard one thing from him yet!"

Grabbing her by the hair, Tamora slammed the woman's face against the wall next to Sugar Rush's game outlet. A cracking sound was heard as Chun-Li grabbed her profusely bleeding nose.

"No need to wait." Tamora voiced as she faced the assistant. "There is no time like the present if you ask me. Now unless you want to meet your demise at my hands, I suggest you end the pep talk and get out of my way!"

 **Ralph and Mario**

Looking down at the small angry plumber that stood as high as the knee of the wrecker, Ralph grinned as the sound of Chun-Li and Calhoun continued fighting caught his ears.

"No offense Mario, but this wouldn't be a fair fight." Ralph stated as he gestured his massive hand towards Mario, further angering the plumber. "I mean, you're way smaller than I am and with one swing from me, you're nothing but data bits. So why don't we just call it a truce and be done with it. What do you say?"

As his ice blue eyes stared into the wrecker's chocolate brown eyes, a smirk suddenly appeared on the plumber's face as he reached behind him and pulled out a super mushroom. Quickly consuming the fungi, the plumber quickly grew to the size of the wrecker, both sets of eyes now at the same level. Smirking, Ralph cracked his knuckles, happy to know that the fight was now on an even kilter.

"As you were saying?" Mario stated as he cracked his knuckles.

"Game on!" Ralph happily stated. With no time to react, the plumber grabbed the wrecker by the shoulders and slammed his back against the wall of the Sugar Rush's portal.

"So you like to play rough huh?" Ralph voiced with a challenge. "Glad to know I'm not the only one!"

Grabbing the plumber by his shoulders, Ralph was able to unhook Mario from him as the wrecker placed the plumber in a swift headlock. Having a firm grip on him, Ralph flipped and slammed the plumber to the ground as earthquake like tremors rippled through the portal.

Recovering from the assault, Mario quickly jumped to his feet, the plumber's clothes swiftly changed to white overalls and a red shirt as his signature hat customized to accommodate his clothing. Fire quickly engulfed his fists as he swung at Ralph, the wrecker taking several large steps back from the now flame throwing plumber.

"Hate to tell you this buddy, but I'm normally not a fan of fighting fire with fire." Ralph stated as he swiftly dodged another swing from the fired-up plumber. "I'm more of a hands-on kind of guy, which you got a taste of earlier. However, I'm a pretty flexible guy so whatever works for you!"

Punching in the wrecker's direction once more, Ralph swiftly slid to the left side of the plumber and grabbed his arm, gripping his lower arm firmly. Grinning his gape tooth smile at the confused plumber, Ralph spun Mario in a circle before releasing and throwing him through the right wall of the portal.

Struggling to get to his feet to climb out of the hole his body created, Mario's body suddenly fell limp as his data quickly broke down into tiny bits of binary that disappeared upon contact with the air. The same data deterioration took effect with Chun-Li, Luigi, and Yoshi.

Noticing his adversaries disappear suddenly, a confused look crossed the handyman's face as he was sure he had a battle to fight.

"Ok, what just happened?" Felix questioned as he turned to his co-horts, his signature golden hammer still firmly gripped in his right hand. "I could have sworn I had a battle to face, but then, they just disappeared."

"Your guess is as good as mine buddy." Ralph stated as his breathing finally slowed from his battle with Mario, his vision then turning to Calhoun for answers. "Any idea what just happened here?"

"The old adage states, you die outside your game, you don't regenerate." Calhoun recited to Felix and Ralph. "However, no matter how many times I knocked the snot out of little miss pigtails, she survived each and every thing I threw at her. She could have died after the first punch, but didn't."

"I knocked Mario through a wall, but the body slam normally does any enemy in on the first try, especially one that is outside of their game." Ralph replied as he gestured to where Luigi and Yoshi once stood. "Remember the cybugs a year ago? Luigi and Yoshi never got a chance so what happened to them?"

"Oh boy, this isn't good!" Vlad's assistant panicked as he pulled out his tablet and frantically began looking through the tablet's files. "This was not supposed to happen until much later, but it took place earlier than expected! I knew him being in that office would create some kind of havoc!"

Hearing what the assistant stated, Calhoun, Ralph, and Felix then focused their attention to the nervous assistant as he continued going through the tablet's files.

"What wasn't supposed to happen this soon and what office?" Calhoun piped up, which made the already nervous assistant jump at the sound of the stern woman's voice. Turning to the sergeant, the assistant nervously smiled as the three advanced on him.

"Um, that, um, I didn't think you heard that." The assistant spoke as the sergeant's blazing stare made him break into a small sweat.

" _What wasn't supposed to happen this soon and what office?_ " Tamora sternly repeated herself, her voice full of force which made the assistant immediately buckle under her intimidating voice and stare.

"That is between Vlad and I." The assistant voiced as he gazed between the three. "I will run this by him and get back with you."

"You _won't_ get the chance to make it back to Tron if you _don't_ spill what you know _right now_!" Ralph threatened as he cracked his knuckles, the assistant swallowing the small lump in his throat at the size of the wrecker's huge knuckles.

"I second that junk pile!" Tamora agreed as she brought into view her prized gun, cocking it to begin charging the weapon. "And if you're thinking about running, you won't make it past your first step! I guarantee you that!"

Felix stepped in front of Ralph, continuing to grip his hammer in his right hand as his vision landed on the assistant. Focusing his vision between the three warriors, the assistant then broke into a huge sweat as his tablet slipped out of his trembling hands and hit the floor below, cracking the screen and forcefully shutting the device off.

"Well? Out with it!" Felix demanded, his normally calm and friendly demeanor changing that of a more serious one.

"Ok! I'll tell you what you want to know, but what you're about to hear won't be pretty!" The assistant finally broke down.

 **Jawbreaker Cove**

The princess-president's back slammed harshly against the right wall of the cove as her spine began aching from the contact made with the jawbreaker that bulged from the wall. Harshly landing on her stomach, the raven-haired girl looked up just in time to see Sydney charging at her with his electrically charged cat of nine tails whip. Rolling out of the way, Sydney's whip landed on the jawbreaker Vanellope was knocked into, splitting it wide open! Taking note of how destructive Sydney's whip was, Vanellope tried to hide the worry that started to surface.

"Ok, taking him down is going to be a lot harder than I originally thought!" Vanellope expressed as she kept her eyes on Sydney. "But if I can take on Turbo, he should be a breeze!"

Climbing to her feet, Sydney side eyed the girl as he slowly turned to her, lashing his whip to the ground which sent a slight electric current through the floor. Keeping her eyes locked on Sydney, Vanellope's body began glitching around her torso and legs while anticipating Sydney's next move.

"You underestimated me Von Schweetz!" Sydney chuckled as he began making his way towards Vanellope slowly. "As you have clearly witnessed, my sister and I are different at how we tame our enemies. Apparently, my approach happens to be the most effective if I do say so myself and I do."

Turning her hazel eyes to his whip, the gears in the girl's head began turning, formulating an idea of how to attack Sydney without getting a beating from his deadly weapon.

"If I plan this just right, I can knock the winds out of his sails before he has a chance to swing that thing again!" Vanellope mentally voiced. "All I have to do is keep an eye on him and then I can strike!"

"I see that you're glitching." Syndey pointed out as he continued making his way towards Vanellope, his cat of nine tails whip recharging with a fresh high voltage current. "Could it be that I'm possibly too much for you or that you're-"

Syndey's thought was cut short as he suddenly received a harsh blow to the chest and was thrown back five feet, nearly interrupting the battle that was taking place between Tea and Cindy. Her data reframing her form, Vanellope grinned as she eyed Sydney across from her.

"Apparently, you're not too much for me." Vanellope chuckled in victory. "That's for sure!"

With a deep growl, Syndey climbed back to his feet and was ready to charge at the girl once more, but a tremor that mimicked an 8.3 earthquake not only knocked everyone off their feet, but loosened and brought down a large jawbreaker from the ceiling, cutting off Sydney's path from Vanellope. Having been knocked off her feet, Vanellope looked up just in time to spot a large jawbreaker falling right on top of her! Quickly activating her glitch, Vanellope glitched away just in time as the jawbreaker fell and cracked into several large pieces!

"Ok, these tremors are getting out of hand!" Vanellope voiced as she looked between the jawbreaker in front of and behind her. "That had the biggest one yet! I know I need to bring my dad back in order to stabilize the core, but the game could at least work with me! I'm trying here!"

"That felt like an earthquake!" Tea voiced to Vanellope as dodged a swing from Cindy. "Is the core that unstable?"

"More than you know." Vanellope replied with a sigh. "If we didn't have these clowns to deal with, I'd be the code room right now trying to figure this out!"

 **Code Vault**

The wire that emitted the king's code into the code vault was now attached to the back of the anti-virus code box, the box now having more life than previously. As every code box hung silently in the zero gravity space, the doors to the code vault looked as if they were forced open, deep claw marks evident on the outside of each door...

* * *

 _ **I will not even try to explain how ridiculous these last few months have been, excluding last year's holidays, that created my absence, but I will say that I am glad they are finally over and that things are back on track for me!**_ _ **And the premiere for Wreck It Ralph 2 will be November 21**_ _ **st**_ _ **, which I intend to have this story long finished before then. Remember, the bunny gets the pancakes and the kitty gets the milkshake!**_

 _ **In addition, a spoiler pic for this fic has been posted on my DA page.**_

 _ **Review Please!**_


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